Soul Consumption
by seren1tystar01
Summary: Kagome, unsuspectingly comes upon Sesshomaru in a quiet moment of reflection, and undresses in the moonlight before getting into a hot spring. What will happen if Sesshomaru's silent moments of reflection concerned this very Miko?
1. Chapter 1

Burning eyes gazing in the sea of blue couldn't help getting lost.

This _should_ not be happening.

This _could_ not be happening.

How was this possible?

Was this some sort of spell?

Had he been bewitched? Of course!

That was the only logical explanation.

He just needed to find the witch responsible and all would be well. He would shred her to pieces in a matter of seconds, or give her a most agonizing death. Of course, it entirely depended on his mood at the time, but he was sure, either way he would be left satisfied.

Coming out of his thoughts, he once again noted the depth of her eyes and _exactly_ how close she was. Out of habit, or something else he couldn't be sure of, he stepped back, dropping her in the process. The tension and fear were palpable in the air. He could smell it coming off her in waves, but underneath it was a massive curiosity that seemed unquenchable.

Glancing out the corner of his eye, he took in her heaving form in one long sweeping glance. She had the most hypnotizing eyes. He could once again get lost in those bewitching orbs if he wasn't careful. Moving on to other things, he took note of the tremors running the length of her body.

She had an hour glass figure and was very much the epitome of voluptuous. Long raven locks wrapped her in a dark cocoon of mystery that nearly consumed him. Endless shapely legs and small feet finished this masterpiece before him and he could not help shuddering at the thought of those legs wrapped around him in a passionate embrace.

She was driving him wild with need and she had not even said a word to him. Perhaps it was the fear keeping her silent, but something told him she was waiting for him to speak.

Honestly, this wench was delusional if she thought he would be the first to speak.

The air was thick with tension and he supposed it was his own fault, but she was the one who traipsed into his silent moments of reflection.

He had been minding his own business, quietly thinking of _things, _that absolutely did not concern her, when she stumbled into his sanctuary and without taking notice of him, whether purposefully or not, had begun to undress at the sight of the hot spring. He could faintly detect salt in the air and wondered amusedly, what the whelp had done this time.

As he watched silently from the shadows, she slowly began to lift her shirt over her shoulders. He quietly realized that she must now be at least twenty summers since he recently heard the fox kit speaking of her fast approaching day of birth and the fact that she would be finally able to adopt him as she had always promised. For some reason, he was relieved that she was no longer a girl child anymore, but a young woman. A beautiful one at that.

What!?! That was absurd! What on earth was he thinking?

Realizing that his mind was wandering again, he took in her bare back and the curve of her neck as she pulled her hair around her front to ward off the evening chill. He also noted that she was just taking off her last undergarment and that she was indeed a sight to behold. His breath caught, without even realizing it and he began to pant as he felt his cock begin to stir.

This was impossible! There was no way he was attracted to this human wench. This ugly, detestable human bitch with her impossibly delicious smell. This was not right! How could he, Sesshomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, be attracted to a pitiful human wench? What was even worse was that she was his brother's wench! How could this be?

But even as he argued with himself, he could not deny the stirring in his cock by the enchanting female specimen before him. She was now sighing to herself and relaxing against a boulder in the hot spring, with her eyes closed and back to him.

Mindlessly, he began to undress himself, not realizing until it was too late, that he had come out of the shadows and was now standing in front of her, bare and breathtaking in all his glory.

He knew that she would be afraid of him and that she would probably try and run away or scream, however futile that would be, but he also knew that he had been bewitched by this enchanting creature and that he wanted her more than anything else. For a moment in this long life, he and his demon half were in complete agreement about taking this female. He wanted her to sigh for him and writhe beneath him as they rose together to bliss.

Silently, he entered the hot spring and breathed in her scent. Not overpowering like most human bitches, but still strong and….The smell was delicious! Sweet and spicy and oh so innocent. How could his brother have traveled with her for nearly five years and not have claimed her?! How could he not want to drown in that enticing scent that drove his senses wild? He desperately needed her! Her scent alone made his cock so hard that it hurt. He wanted to make her scream his name! Make her undeniably his, just as he was undeniably hers!!

Slowly, he reached for her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against his chest and holding tightly as she yelped in surprise and then started bucking wildly against him, trying desperately to get away. He started growling low in his chest, a deep comforting growl, all the while trying not to notice how wonderful she felt rubbing against him.

The first thing that came to her mind was how on earth anyone got this close to her without her Miko senses going wild. There were only a certain few that could get past her defenses without alerting her to their presence. Soft comforting strokes to her back and deep soul shaking growls made her relax under his ministrations and she chanced a glance behind her to see who it was. To say she was speechless would be the understatement of the century. Sesshomaru, the Ice God himself, was holding her against his chest, naked!! There were no words to describe. She had always secretly desired him, but never chalked it up to anything but fantasy, because of his strong dislike for humans. Okay, so he hated them, but there was an exception to every rule. Take Rin for example. Sesshomaru hated humans, but he blatantly cared for the girl, one would have to be blind not to notice. Of course, he would never openly admit such feelings, after all, that would be a weakness, but she could tell. Just the fact that he let her follow him everywhere and that he rescued her from Naraku's clutches spoke volumes in her importance to the stoic lord of the west.

However, back to more important matters, Sesshomaru had just dropped her in the water, practically as if he had been burned by her, and she had resurfaced spluttering while taking a massive breath of air, before turning violently toward the demon, who had scared the life out of her, joined her in the spring, was just as completely naked as she, and had just dropped her unceremoniously into the water. What she saw shocked the hell out of her for the second time in minutes.

Sesshomaru's eyes were switching between his beautiful amber depths to delicious ruby orbs and he was obviously fighting with his demon for control. Control over what was the question. Was he possibly fighting for control because of me? No way! There has to be some other explanation. Maybe he didn't realize I was in here until he was practically on top of me!?! That has to be it! There is no way in hell he wants me. But, what if he does?! Could he want me as much as I want him? I have been trying to deny it for so long now that when finally presented with the perfect opportunity, I don't believe it. Could this all be a wonderful dream?

No. The pain in my heart from Inuyasha's callous actions earlier is still very fresh in my heart. That is definitely not something I dream about if Inuyasha is involved. Of course lately, when I dream of Inuyasha or Sesshomaru, my dreams are far too graphic for my liking. Although I am innocent in the ways of lovemaking; that does not mean that I don't fantasize as much or more than everyone else. I am a Miko, yes, but I am first a woman. I am also not like the women in this time. I don't cower in the face of a male and I speak my mind probably more than I should, but I cannot change that and I wouldn't if I could. But because of when I am from, I have vivid ideas of lovemaking. Rough, wanton, passionate, kinky, all these things and more are what I want from a lover. More than that, I will not give myself until I find someone worthy of me. I once thought Inuyasha would be the one, but long ago did I give up the hope that I would be his one and only. There could never be anything more than friendship between us because of Kikyo and I wanted to scream in frustration at the beginning. How dare she come in and ruin what had so perilously been formed, but alas it wasn't meant to be.

Of course, I am getting sidetracked.

I haven't forgotten about the mysterious Lord in front of me. Long ago did I realize that not only was my infatuation with Inuyasha, nothing more than just that, but also that my longing for his older brother was not only primal and hungry, but soulful. I could feel him in my very soul, burning me up from the inside. My body is starting to react to my desire for the stoic beast before me and I suddenly felt myself flush at the sight of him. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, finely toned muscles, taut skin and in one word, perfection, personified. Flashing eyes and silver hair made of silk fluttering in the light breeze and I can't help reaching out to touch it.

Suddenly his eyes, those devilishly handsome eyes, are piercing my very soul. His gaze is hard and cold, but I can see the surprise hidden in their depths. I decide to be bold and use my other hand to reach out for his. I feel my heart start to flutter in my chest and warmth settles itself low in my belly. I trace a long nail over his fingers, one at a time, and slowly start to travel the length of his arm.

I can't believe I am doing this!!

What the hell was I thinking?

Why is he letting me do this?!

All too soon, his arm ends and his shoulder begins. I decide to continue my wanderings, since he is obviously not going to stop me, and lightly trace his pecks and rock hard abs.

I cannot fathom what came over the Miko to suddenly start touching me, but, it feels good. Such an innocent touch, but it makes my heart start to beat erratically. I shudder involuntarily and take in a shaky breath. I watch her intently as one hand plays with my hair and the other draws little designs on my chest and abs. I step closer and watch for a reaction from her, but she doesn't seem to notice my closer proximity and so I once again step closer to the little minx that has captured my full attention with her innocent finger.

Oh how I want her!

Please, don't stop!

I finally decide to speak and can't help noticing the husky quality of my voice.

"Miko."

I watch her jump at the sound and then suddenly her bewitching orbs are upon me again. I can't understand this feeling.

Why do I lose my breath with one look from this goddess?

How does she make me feel this way?

What has she done to bewitch me so?

During my musings, I realize that she spoke to me and I look back at her with interest as she freezes under my stare. There is only one way for me to know what she has done. I will interrogate her and if she lies to me, I will kill her. Only then will I be released from this enchantment.

"Miko. What have you done to this Sesshomaru?"

Her blue orbs widen a fraction, before narrowing slightly. She gives me a glare of warning, before answering my question.

"What are you talking about Sesshomaru-sama? I don't understand what you mean."

"It is simple, Miko. You have put a curse on this Sesshomaru and I demand you release me at once, or you will pay with your life."

What the hell was he talking about? A curse ? Oh no! I hope he will be alright. I wonder if I could lift it for him!?! Wait a minute! He said I did it! What nonsense was he saying? I don't know how to place a curse on anyone, hell, I don't even think I have enough power to do such a thing! Not to mention, that I would never consider doing it in the first place.

Realizing I haven't responded to his rather rude accusation, I narrow my eyes once again and cross my arms over my chest. Of course at this moment, I realize I am still very nude in front of this demon lord and I blush profusely before submerging myself in the hot spring, while still keeping my arms across my chest. I realize that this demon lord has been getting quite an eyeful for these past minutes, but I still have some semblance of my pride and I will be damned if he is going to get anything out of this encounter, considering his accusation a moment ago.

Turning back to the demon lord again, once I am decently covered, at least as well as I can be considering the circumstances, I respond.

"Lord Sesshomaru, I know not of what you speak " I am rather proud of how steady my voice is and continue, gaining courage along the way.

"Furthermore, how dare you? You self-centered, arrogant, egotistical jerk! I have done nothing, but be respectful to you since I first met you!! I took care of Rin when she was ill and you didn't know how to care for her! I healed your severed arm before the final battle with Naraku, so you would be even more of a threat to the evil hanyou! I healed your injuries after that fight, without so much as a 'thank you' for my effort and last but certainly not least, I deterred Inuyasha many a time with a 'sit' or ramen, every time you came to camp to check on the rumors spreading about Naraku before you joined our party because I could tell in your aura that you had no intention of fighting."

"And THIS IS WHAT I GET FOR MY EFFORT?!?" The last sentence was torn forcefully from my throat as my emotions got the better of me. So help me, if I could sit Sesshomaru, he would be in the seventh circle of hell right now. Damn him.

I became aware of her fury by the power of her aura, tearing at my skin, radiating infinite power, untapped potential and so much more, and I realize that if I were a lesser creature I would be either unconscious or dead. The next thing I notice is that she has submerged herself in the spring; she is flushed, whether from anger or embarrassment I know not, and she is yelling at me so loud that I wince from the sound.

The next thing I notice is what she is saying. How dare this little human wench say such things to this Sesshomaru!? Who does she think she is?! I also realize that she has taken great offence to what I said and that even though she is being anything but respectful at this point in time, she is not lying. If there is a hex on me, she did not place it there.

Damn…

How could this be?

Is this really not an enchantment?

Are these feelings within me? Of my own volition ?

Truly ?

One look at the spluttering, beautiful goddess in front of me and I know the answer, even if I don't like it.

Perhaps this is Rin's influence? I never would have given the Miko a second glance without Rin. Yes, of course that must be it!

I am lying to myself. Even as I breathe, I know these things to be false.

My demon half is laughing at me.

What are you laughing at you primitive imbecile?

Authors note, fully italicized sentences are Sesshomaru's demon half talking

_What do you think I am laughing at, other than you of course?!_

And what pray tell do you find so hilarious?

_The fact that you just now realized your attraction to the Miko, amongst other things._

What do you speak of? I know not what you mean.

_Of course you do. Do not act as though you are a simpleton. You have known of my desire for the human Miko, since she made her grand debut at Father's grave._

I noticed her then. That is all. She was an enigma. To think a human could pull Father's Fang. The mere thought is absurd.

_That was not all. You scented her and the smell was addicting! Even the Mighty Lord Sesshomaru was not immune to her charms. Why do you think you always went back?_

Nonsense! I will not deny that her scent is intoxicating. But I only went to her because Rin was in desperate need of assistance and she being a Miko, would know the cure.

_You can lie all you want. I am your other half. I have known your innermost thoughts and desires for longer than you would care to admit, even chained into submission and I know that I am not the only one that desires her from afar. You never made a move because she was your brother's wench and she smelled of him, but you know they have not mated. There is nothing stopping you now. You have caged me for far too long and I'll not be held back again, which means you have two choices. You can either fight me and the victor will become the dominant half, or you can finally accept me and all the 'so called' primitive emotions that come with me. Choose wisely._

What you speak is true. I know they have not mated, but that doesn't mean I want her as you say. Furthermore, you were caged for good reason. You have no restraint! I refuse to let you free unless you will keep yourself under control! I will not be held liable for the destruction you cause the first time you let yourself go and overpower me in the process!

_Foolish demon. I am you. You are me. Let us join together and we will be more powerful than ever. After that, there will no longer be two separate entities within, we would be united. Together we will take her as our mate and then we will be invincible. You need her as badly as I do. She is an addiction that cannot be sated. Her very presence is destroying your barriers as we speak. I can feel it. You want this as much as I. She is POWERFUL! She is not a mere mortal! She DEFEATED Naraku, single-handedly! One arrow and he was dust, floating on the wind. Do not miss this chance. She wants you, just as much! Smell her arousal on the air!_

You're right. I CAN smell her arousal, and it is even more delicious!! She is powerful, loyal, honest, fiery, smart, beautiful, and innocent. That is all I ever asked for in a mate and more and she is here for the taking and WILLING!! Let us unite now and take our mate together.

I couldn't help myself. I had to feel her skin. I needed to feel her touch. I needed to taste her. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Look what I, the Mighty Lord Sesshomaru have become. What am I saying?

I lift her from the water so that she is standing mere inches from me, and she squeaks in protest at the sudden movement and cold air on her skin. Her skin is softer than silk and heavenly to the touch. She smells of cinnamon and spice and it gets heavier with her arousal. Her scent spikes as she looks into my eyes and I am sure she now knows my intentions. Surprised to say the least, I feel no fear from her. None. That should not be possible. She should be terrified of me, but not only is she not scared at all; she is starting to tremble with anticipation. Perhaps I am not the only one that is affected? Perhaps she desires me as well?

Let's put this theory to the test.

Slowly and sensually, I begin to run a single claw down her cheek, past her neck, grazing her collarbone and stopping at the junction between her neck and shoulder. I feel her pulse beneath the skin jump in response to my touches and her scent of arousal almost overpowers me.

So, she wants me as well.

This revelation boosts my ego and I smile smugly down at her.

I can't believe I just said that!

He is going to kill me for sure!

I glance hesitatingly toward the stoic lord and watch fascinated at the different emotions playing across his face. He looks to be fighting within himself. He is shaking slightly and his captivating eyes are flashing from amber to ruby and back. He seems to be deep in thought, trying desperately to gain some semblance of control over his body. I wonder if his control is wavering because of me?!

Could he truly want me?

Could he need me as much as I need him?!

All thoughts leave my mind as I feel him lift me from the spring and begin running a lone claw sensually on my skin. Beginning at my face and lowering slightly to my neck and then even further to my collarbone, his light strokes set my body aflame. Flushed and shuddering, I look into his amber depths framed in ruby irises and blink.

He has the smuggest grin on his face; it rivals that of Inuyasha's.

Two can play that game, demon.

Grinning wickedly, I slowly begin to raise my hands to him. He doesn't seem to notice until I have his face cupped within my palms. His shocked stare is quickly replaced with a lustful gaze when he reads the promise in my eyes.

I slowly bring his face to mine with the promise of fulfilling all his lustful fantasies and just as we are about to touch, I turn my body just enough for him to be slightly off balance. Without his notice, I continue to turn our bodies as I bring his lips to mine. However unprepared I am for the softness of his lips and the passionate embrace that follows; I finish what I started and let go of him just as I had planned.

Unfortunately, I was unprepared for when he did not let go, and so we both tumbled over the spring and into the lake, right under the waterfall. My original intention was to drown his smug ass, but this could work to my advantage, regardless.

I watch with a smug smile of my own as he resurfaces with a deadly glint in his eyes.

He looks to me and then smirks evilly and I felt my knees buckle beneath me at that glance. Luckily or unluckily, depending on how you look at it, Sesshomaru catches me before I can fall. Warily glancing at his face, I can't help catching my breath at the beauty before my eyes. There is simply no other way to describe him. Absolutely breathtaking! Magnificent eyes inch closer to mine and before I can think, he is ravishing my lips thoroughly!

This should be against the law!

All thoughts disappear as his tongue urgently demands entry into my mouth. I can't help but open in response and I moan helplessly at the new sensations wreaking havoc on my body. I begin to tentatively wrap my arms around his shoulders and then move them around his neck. I need to feel him. I need…something! The warmth in my belly is spreading and the ache between my legs is getting stronger. I feel myself fist his hair into my hand while trying desperately to bring his body closer to mine with the other. I can't seem to get enough of this feeling. This blooming heat in my belly is making my limbs weak and heavy. I can't seem to hold myself upright any longer, but Sesshomaru is there, grasping my waist tightly, while hoisting me into straddling his hips. Apparently, he's made himself comfortable on a large boulder on the edge of the lake. Momentarily, I realize this is a most compromising position, but that thought disappears as I feel his delicious fingers begin to rub over my thighs, jumping to my neck and shoulders and then down to underneath my breast. I feel my heart skip a beat and then resume its pounding when he roughly grabs a nipple and starts to roll it between his thumb and forefinger.

This is torturous bliss!!

"Oh Sess..homaru…don…t…sto..p..!" I hear myself moan loudly and can suddenly picture his smug smirk once again; however, I don't give a shit this time. He can keep that grin as long as he doesn't dare stop these torturous ministrations upon my body.

I am hungrily running my claws across her skin, caressing and kneading her delicate flesh, when I feel her grab my face and inch it toward hers.

I suppose, in retrospect, I should have been paying more attention and that if I had, we would not have ended up in the lake, but that is beside the point.

Shocked by her boldness, I sweep her figure with my gaze and land softly on her eyes. Gazing deeply into them, I see the promise of my desires and fail to notice the mischief floating there as well. I let her continue our descent to each other and begin to feel her body moving slightly to the side, as if trying to get away. So I do the only thing I can, I hold on. As we meet in a passionate embrace, I still feel her shifting ever so slightly and then suddenly she lets go of me.

Apparently, however, she was unprepared for my unwillingness to release her and we both tumbled over the spring and into the lake, conveniently under the waterfall.

As I resurface, I hold her smug gaze filled with satisfaction with my own heated orbs and then I smirk as evilly as I can at this moment without intending to scare her away and then jump to her as quickly as possible before she collapses. She glances at me hesitantly and I hear her heartbeat double and breathe catch. I feel her intent gaze on me and decide to take advantage of her apparent paralysis. I inch closer to her lips and before she can try and refuse me, I am ravishing her lips with my own.

All thoughts leave me as I really feel her lips on my own. They are so soft!

This is wonderful!

Urgently, I run my tongue along her bottom lip, demanding entry. Slowly, she complies and then moans loudly in return. I tighten my grip on her almost immediately when I realize that not only is she participating, but she is thoroughly enjoying it as well. Her heartbeat flutters uncontrollably in her chest and her breathing is erratic as I continue to dominate her tongue with mine.

She is sheer torture!

She is so innocent, but she has my body responding to her like she was a bitch in heat!

Perhaps she is? Of course, she is MY bitch in heat!

I feel myself hardening as she continues to moan helplessly into my mouth and then I feel her arms around my shoulders, then my neck. Grabbing desperately to my person, trying to understand the feelings running through her, she finally decides on fisting my hair in her hands and clinging to my body as close as possible.

I feel her legs buckle and hoist her up so she is straddling my hips, just as I find a seat on a large boulder on the edge of the lake. When I am sure she is steady on her own, I begin to memorize her body with my fingers and claws. I feel her tremble beneath me with each stroke of my claws as I start with her thighs, climb to her neck and shoulders and then down to right below her breast. I hear her heart pounding fiercely and jump erratically when I roughly roll and pinch her left nipple in my hand.

She is perfection!

Look how she writhes and moans for more!

Such a good responsive bitch!!

"Oh Sess..homaru…don…t…sto..p..!" She moans loudly in my ear and I grin smugly. I have absolutely no intention of stopping.

With one hand continuing to torture her breasts, I use the other to inch my way to the apex between her thighs, caressing my way down. I feel her arch further into me as I knead her flesh between my claws before I dip down to caress her dripping folds. She makes a strangled noise in her throat as I flick her bud and then bucks wildly against me.

She is a vixen!

Look at the way she moves!

She is begging for more!

"Oh Gods…Sessss……More!"

Naturally, I comply with her wishes and pick up the pace on her delicious body. Slowly, I end the torture on her breasts and inch that hand to join the other, while gently laying her back on the banks of the lake. Once she is situated, I slide down her body, sensually nipping and sucking on her delectable skin. When I reach her center, I open her legs and slide between them, while lifting her legs onto my shoulders for more leverage of her delightful smell.

She smells heavenly!

While she is out of her mind with lust, I know that she will not try to stop these sensations on her body, but I don't know if I can handle only having her just once. She is all I have ever wanted and more in a mate and I don't know if I will be able to stop myself from taking her as such if we continue.

Suddenly, I back off and wait for her to notice. When she glances at me questioningly, I decide that I need to ask her before this goes any further. I can smell her confusion and embarrassment. Perhaps, she thinks she has done something wrong?

"Miko, relax. You were perfect; however I cannot finish this unless you are willing to become the Lady of the Western Lands, my eternal companion and the mate of my soul."

I see her eyes widen to the point of bursting and then I smell salt in the air. What have I done? Am I such a horrible proposition? All these thoughts and more are running through my head when I feel her thrust herself into my embrace and scream…

"Yes….yes…yes….YESSSS!!!!"

I could not believe it!

She would be my mate!

Forcefully, I grab her face and slam my lips down to hers with an approving growl as she responds to my forceful treatment immediately.

I feel one hand leave my waist and creep toward my thighs, but I am helpless to stop it as I arch again into his hand as he twists and flicks my nipple.

I feel as if I am going to explode!

I make an unintelligible noise as he grips my center and flicks my clit and then I am bucking helplessly against him, trying desperately to reach my release.

He is growling low in his throat and I can't help the heat that pools low in my belly at the sound.

I am so wet I can feel my essence dripping down my thighs!

Never once does he stop his attentions on my body….it's like I am an instrument he is playing and each cord he plucks takes me that much closer to completion.

I can't help myself when I plead desperately for more.

"Oh Gods……..Sessss…….More!"

And to my utter delight after my lusty outburst, his fingers not only continue their torture on my clit, but they pick up the pace before plundering my insides with his delicious digits, being mindful of his claws.

I feel him leave my sensitive nipples and trail his loving caresses down my body to join his other hand on my sex, while lowering me to the bank of the lake. Once I am comfortable, he slides down the length of my body, sensually nipping me and then laving his tongue gently afterward. Sucking on my sensitive nipples, moving to my hips and thighs and then opening my legs so that my dripping flower is in plain view, I feel my body flush at the new rush of excitement that flows through me.

I watch him lock gazes with me while he leans down and inhales so deeply of me that I feel his lungs will burst from the effort.

He has never looked so sexy as he does right at this moment!

I need him so badly, I could scream!

His gaze is still locked with mine, but I can see that his mind is somewhere else.

What on earth could be more important than relieving this ache low in my belly? And from the look of things, he must be as frustrated as I am. I wonder if I did something wrong….oh God! Could that be why he stopped?

I don't know what…….wait why is he leaving?

I look at him with a question in my eyes and I feel my face flame.

I am so embarrassed!

Then he speaks to me and I forget that I was mortified only moments before.

"Miko, relax. You were perfect; however I cannot finish this unless you are willing to become the Lady of the Western Lands, my eternal companion and the mate of my soul."

My eyes go so wide I think they may pop out of my skull and my breath ceases to exist. I feel the tears building and I can't think. There is no way the Ice Lord himself just asked me to be his mate, but one look at his face and I know that I heard right.

I have always felt an attraction to this man, but I never thought he could possibly feel the same way. I never thought he gave me a second glance and he just said he wants to spend the rest of his extremely long life with ME! I feel my heart swell at the thought and know I cannot deny him.

And as of this moment I have nothing to hold me back. Had I not seen Inuyasha and Kikyo in a passionate embrace mere hours ago? Had they not told of their undying love for each other just moments before Inuyasha marked her as his mate for eternity? But aside from my hurt feelings, what did I want? Had my infatuation for this taiyoukai evolved into something that could withstand eternity? Could I possibly spend forever with him? And then I realized that I had known the answer to these thoughts all along. The feelings that I had for my taiyoukai consumed my very soul were all encompassing, and my body shook with the knowledge that I loved him with every fiber of my being.

Launching my body into his embrace, I scream my answer.

"Yes….yes…yes….YESSSS!!!!"

And then I see something I never thought I would.

Sesshomaru's emotionless mask is gone and he has a look of shock on his face.

And then his shock turns into such joy, I lose my breath.

He is such a beautiful creature!

Suddenly, my lips are being thoroughly bruised and I participate immediately, earning an approving growl, for my efforts.

Reaching for him, I fist my hands in his hair and thrust my tongue into his mouth, delighting in the smoky flavor. Moaning from the sheer feel of his tongue caressing mine, I slide suggestively against his cock, urging him to lose control so I can finally release this heat in my belly, this deep soul shaking ache.

Responding to my touches, he grinds his cock against my heat, harder and faster than I could ever dream of moving and latches his teeth onto a nipple.

Screaming my passion into the night, I buck wildly against him, and throw my head back as a powerful explosion overtakes me! I feel my Miko powers come to life at the same time as his youki. Dancing together above my passion glazed eyes, I watch them desperately trying to merge as one. I glace at Sesshomaru and notice he is straining against me, as desperate for release as I had been moments ago, but unwilling to move while I bask in the after glow of my first mind blowing orgasm.

Languidly, I grasp his cock in my hands and give it a firm tug and watch as his eyes whirl to mine and he hisses at the sensation. Grasping my hand, he pulls me into his lap and inhales deeply of my scent. Growling contentedly, he grasps my hips and grinds his against my own. Mewling at the sensation, I grind my hips just as forcefully against his before I can't take it anymore and I beg desperately for him to fill me.

"Please Sess……Don't make me wait anymore!"

"Please…..I need you…so much…"

"Gods, I love you……please…..make me your mate…."

And with that, he places himself below my center and waits for me to signal my readiness. One look in my eyes and that is all the encouragement he needs. With one swift motion, he impales himself in me to the hilt. Crying out at the pain, I try desperately to relax in his hold and then I feel him licking my tears away and growling comfortingly, instantly relaxing me.

Feeling the pain ebb, I move hesitantly against him, testing the pressure. Already feeling full to overflowing with his massive size, I am surprised when he bucks under me and I am then full to the point of being painful, moaning out of pain or pleasure, I can't be sure, but then he moves against me again. Pulling almost all the way out and then thrusting to the hilt over and over. Rocking with him, I feel the warmth return to my belly and eagerly begin to meet his every thrust. Biting my nipples and drawing blood, I scream my pleasure at the rough treatment and bite his just as hard in return.

Playfully running my long nails down his back and drawing blood, he growls his pleasure to me while biting harder on my breast. Feeling the pleasure and pain together with being complete causes me to moan desperately, as I get wetter and wetter. I can feel my juices running down my thighs and onto his balls and I grasp his hair tightly in my fists as I feel myself on the brink of something wonderful.

She fists her hands in my hair and thrusts her tongue into my mouth.

She tastes so sweet!

Listen to her moans!

Feeling her sliding against me and creating such a delicious friction between us was going to drive me mad. Such reckless abandon! I grind against her and pick up the pace, trying to give her the release she is begging for. Almost immediately, she screams her passion and bucks wildly against me, throwing her head back.

She is a gift from the Gods!

How beautiful she is, such passion!

A prickling sensation on my skin makes me aware of my Miko's aura, clashing and molding with mine. I can feel it as I glance up, her healing blue and my deadly red, molding together. When we are done mating, we will be one aura, one soul and one mind.

Getting back to more important matters though, I am in need of release and can not wait much longer for her to come back down from her orgasm. Suddenly, she is grasping my cock and tugging on it and I am so unprepared for it, I hiss desperately at the sensation before searching out her eyes. Taking her hand from around my shaft, I pull her into my lap and inhale her intoxicating scent. She smells of this Sesshomaru now. Such a delicious smell, I can't help growling contentedly. Grasping her hips, I grind my length into her heat. Listening to her mewling, I can feel she is nearly ready for me. When she finally begs for this Sesshomaru, I can no longer deny her.

"Please Sess……Don't make me wait anymore!"

"Please….I need you…so much…"

"Gods, I love you…..please….make me your mate…."

I am not a patient youkai. I can only wait for so long, but when I saw the need in her eyes, a need that matched my own, I thrust deeply into her, stretching her to take my full girth. Crying out at the taking of her innocence, I lick her tears away and growl comfortingly, needing her to relax so she can enjoy this as well.

Straining desperately at the will it takes to hold perfectly still in this heavenly sheath, I can feel beads of sweat begin to form on my brow.

She is so tight!

Hot and Wet and MINE!

Growling possessively in the back of my throat, I thrust into her without realizing it until its too late; however she surprises me with a lusty moan and then I can no longer help myself. Pulling almost completely out of her sheath, I thrust in quickly, again and again and revel in the moans and mewls coming from my chosen. Grunting in pleasure, I growl my approval when she begins to rock with me.

This is heaven!

I smell her arousal spike as she moves with me and bite into her nipple again. She howls like a good bitch in response and I growl approvingly. Drinking the blood that seeps from the wound I nearly find my release at the taste. Such a sweet being and now she belongs to only this Sesshomaru. I come back to thrusting into her, when she bites this Sesshomaru in return.

Ggrrrrroooooowwwwwwllllll…..such pleasure!

A fine mate indeed!

Dragging her nails across my back and drawing blood, I howl my pleasure and bite her harder in return. Moaning louder in response, she gets wetter and wetter and fists her hands in my hair as she sits on the brink of another orgasm.

Picking up the pace, I thrust harder and faster, all the while, never releasing her nipple. Feeling her falling over the edge and desperately trying to milk me, I let go of her breast just in time to bite down at the junction of her neck and shoulder and tasting her lifeblood again, I too fall over the edge, howling my release for any demon near, if they dare interfere.

Glancing at my mate, I smile as she snuggles into my warmth and I wrap my arms around her. Growling soothingly, I lull her to sleep as I carry her toward our clothes and the hot spring. Feeling her contentment through our link, I smile as we near our secret alcove. Laying her beside me, I wrap us in my tail for warmth and I join her in the land of dreams.

He thrusts harder and faster than I could ever possibly hope to and still never lets go of my nipple. Biting just a little harder then he was a few seconds ago, and I am keening on the edge of another explosive orgasm. Flicking my nipple roughly with the tip of his tongue and I fall over the edge, screaming my release to the four corners of the world. Letting go of my nipple, he bites the junction between my neck and shoulder and I orgasm again, the mixture of pleasure and pain is too much; and then he too, is screaming his release to the world.

I snuggle into his warmth as the coolness of the night air hits my skin and he wraps me in his arms. His beast soothes me with deep rumbling growls and I fall helplessly into a light daze as he walks toward our clothes and the hot spring. Content in his arms and with this turn of events, I transfer these feelings through our link and feel him smile in return. He lays me down and spoons me against him on the bank of the spring and wraps us in his moko moko, as we both drift into a deep sleep.

Thank you to all my readers! I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did! I am considering making this an epic instead of just a stand alone story, so if you want me to continue this story, let me know in your reviews. I would also like constructive criticism, although I am not new to fan fiction and writing, I would like suggestions so that I can improve.

Thanks very much!


	2. Chapter 2

Hi all! This is a continuation of Soul Consumption as per my readers' request. I would like to thank you all for reviewing because it gives me the courage to continue.

One of my beta's informed me that my story was confusing, with the character point of views going back and forth and so in this chapter I will stay with one P.O.V. entirely. If I so choose, I will also include another P.O.V. altogether, but they won't change from one to the other. I haven't decided if I will include more than one. It depends on the length.

If this is not something that you like and you would like me to revert to my earlier style, let me know by giving me a review. If I get enough telling me they liked my story before then I will revert to this style in the next chapter.

As always, the usual disclaimers apply. I do NOT own Inuyasha or any characters therein. If I did, I don't know what I would do, but it would be exciting, don't you think?

And now that my disclaimers and author's notes are out of the way, on with the story!

Soul Consumption

Outbursts that change your life.

Some things never change; then there are some things that change so drastically, that the end product looks nothing like the original and you are left to wonder what could have taken place to create such an immense reaction.

_Kagome's P.O.V._

I awoke to the feeling of strong arms around my waist and warm breath on my shoulder. Stirring slightly, I can't help smiling at the remembrance of last nights' events. Flushing brightly, I pray that my love is still asleep and will not wake until I am back to my normal coloring.

By the Gods, just thinking about what he did to me is enough to make me flush and yet I cannot think of anything else. I wonder if he will feel the same? Could he flush in excitement when he wakes and feel is erection grow at the thought of what took place only hours ago? Just one thought and my insides are trembling and I can feel the warmth in my belly pool between my thighs!

Suddenly, I am pulled back into the chest I so desire and I feel myself flush all over again. These feelings running rampant through my blood heat to boiling and my body is already trembling in anticipation of the coming events, even before I can fully understand what is happening. The same can be said for my delirious mind. I cannot fathom my feelings for the handsome taiyoukai at my back with so many things happening at once.

Glancing over my shoulder, I feel his gaze on me before I even meet his eyes.

By the Gods, he is handsome! And the things he does to me would make even one experienced in the art of making love, blush profusely. But I do not know him as anything other than a passionate lover. We have never spoken more than a few words to each other before last night and I cannot believe I said yes when he asked me to be his mate! But even as I think these things, I know in my heart of hearts that there is a burning, soul shaking love that is stronger than I could possibly imagine, blossoming in my chest as we speak.

Before last night, I would have said that I was deeply in love with Inuyasha, even though he irreparably damaged me with his thoughtless actions with Kikyo. But now that I am with Sesshomaru, I see my infatuation and depth of love for Inuyasha to be nothing more than a feeling on the wind compared to my feelings for his brother. I would have never thought it possible; after all, I thought I had been in love with Inuyasha for more than five years and to think that those feelings could be nothing more than a glimpse of what I feel now for the man holding me, it is enough to make me quake with wonderment. Truly, Sesshomaru must have bewitched me for my feelings to have turned so abruptly. And yet even as I think all these things, I know them to be false.

The way he made me feel last night is nothing short of deliciously satisfied!

By the Gods, I crave his touch! Everything he thinks and feels is transmitted from our link and I am left shaking in the aftermath.

To think that the deadly taiyoukai had been hiding these feelings from me for Kami only knows how long is completely and utterly outrageous. Had I been privy to his thoughts, I would have laughed outright; truly thinking he had gone mad. Of course, he himself thought he had been cursed, therefore, he too thought himself insane, which doesn't make me feel any better about the situation, but in the end, he declared his feelings and I could only express my own, in the face of such passion from the normally stoic demon lord. I had always fantasized about him at night, when I should have been thinking of Inuyasha and his declaration, made my knees quiver in response. I can truly say that last night was much better than all my fantasies combined.

Finally meeting his gaze, I gasp at what I see. His eyes are such a delicious scarlet at the moment, I feel the warmth between my legs start to trickle down my thighs. Seeing his nostrils flare in response, I hear myself moan throatily.

By the Gods, one look from him and my knees go weak!

Seeing his face inch down my body, heading for the apex of my thighs, I can't help the way I start trembling in anticipation. He growls low in his throat and I understand him completely, like I have been speaking his tongue all my life. In response to his growl, I immediately open my legs for him and become submissive. Growling in approval of my actions, I feel his tongue snake out and caress my dripping folds. Fisting my hands in his luscious silver locks, I open my legs wider for his comfort and my pleasure. Moaning at the feel of his tongue licking my very essence, I can't help wanting more. The way he makes me feel as no other ever has, it is truly delicious. This encompassing warmth in my breast, takes my breath away.

The feel of his fang brushing my clit brings me back to the present and I moan loudly in response to his rougher treatment. Thrashing my head back and forth at these maddening sensations coursing through my body, I hear my moans getting louder. Gasping, I feel him thrust his tongue into my core and I grind helplessly against the offending organ, desperately trying to get more. My body is highly sensitive and I can feel it humming in response to his close proximity. Replacing his tongue with two clawed fingers, he picks up the pace, while using his tongue to flick my clit, repeatedly. Coming so close to my release my back nearly breaks with the effort, he teases me relentlessly. Never stopping his fingers or his tongue, he backs off enough that I cannot find solace in a mindless orgasm. Desperate for refuge, I take action into my own hands.

Firmly grasping his head in my hands, I pull as hard as I can, keening in my effort to make him understand my need for him. This teasing is not enough. I need to feel him inside me. His long velvet steel is what I crave. Slowly, he drifts up my body, nipping flesh and licking my most sensitive spots; he stops near my twin peaks and makes his mark once again.

Feeling the flesh break again as he bites forcefully into my breast, it nearly proves my undoing. Fighting back with all the strength I can muster, I rake my long nails down his back with such force, I draw blood. Howling his pleasure to the heavens, he releases my breast right before plunging deep into my dripping folds and I scream my pleasure as I am pulled over the edge! He pounds so forcefully into me that I am once again on the brink of orgasm. When he pulls all the way out of me and then plunges in so far that I feel my womb move two inches to the left, he howls his pleasure to the surrounding forest. His passion reaches me through our link so forcefully, that I am left writhing in response. One flick of his claws and I am once again thrown into chaos as my core milks him for all he is worth. Panting harshly, I collapse into his arms and desperately try inhaling much needed oxygen when our slick bodies collide.

Feeling his arms come around my body, I am once again struck with the suddenness of my feelings for him. Although I have had a strong desire for him for more than a few years, I am still trying to come to terms with my absolute soul shaking love for this striking demon before me. Stroking my back softly, he growls comfortingly in my ear, telling me he is greatly pleased and that he loves me. Feeling love and contentment through our link, I send it back to him with all the strength I can muster at the moment in my exhausted state and then I burrow into his warmth as I feel myself drifting off.

Hours later, I wake to the sunlight streaming through the trees and right into my eyes. Squinting, I gradually become accustomed to the light and look at my surroundings. My love is looking up at me with his usual stoic façade, but his eyes speak volumes to me and I am content. Quickly kissing his lips in a chaste example of our earlier kisses, I turn to stretch and am overcome with the soreness of my body. I ache all over and have yet to even stand. Carefully, I begin to lift my body ever so slowly from the ground, but feeling his arms come around me again, I give over control and go lax in his embrace. He lifts me so that he is carrying me bridal style, toward the lake. Instead of slowly entering the frigid waters, he doesn't even slow as we enter. Squealing at the freezing temperature, I try to jump out of his arms and back toward the shore, but his arms become steal in a matter of moments and I cannot get away. Growling low in his throat again he tells me that I need to clean the blood between my thighs and he needs to wash as well. Slowly, he begins to lower me further into the water and once I am comfortable enough to stand on my own, lets go.

Producing a cloth and soap from nowhere, he dips them into the water and begins a lather. Realizing that he must have been awake far longer than I, I realize he must have reached for my cleaning supplies on the edge of the spring, while wading into the water. I must be blind! I cannot believe I didn't see him do that. Where is my head? Of course, I have more important things to be thinking about, but I can't help it.

Gauging the time by the position of the sun, it must be nearly ten in the morning. Inuyasha must be awake and worried about me. He wasn't worried last night because he was busy, but he always returns to camp after his little rendezvous with Kikyo and he was sure to see my empty sleeping bag. Regardless, even if he didn't notice last night, he was bound to notice this morning.

By the Gods, he is going to blow his top!

Not that it's any of his business, but I know that the others will be worried about my whereabouts as well. Obviously Sesshomaru feels my upset because he is immediately at my side, stoic as ever in appearance, but his eyes betray his true feelings. I can feel his worry for me through our link and desperately try to calm him. Nuzzling my neck and my mark, I realize that there is no bite on my shoulder. It is a crest. A blue crescent moon as a symbol of my status as the new Lady of the Western Lands and writing above and below it that says Obsession and Belonging respectively. Apparently, I am not only his obsession, but I am right where I belong. Feeling absolute love and acceptance from him, I am content. There is no other word to describe this feeling. It's like coming home after being gone for years. I can remember all the happy times I've had throughout my life and all of them combined do not come close to what I feel by his side. Perhaps this is more than coincidence. Perhaps we were destined to be together. Feeling his approval of this assumption, I smile softly in his direction. At least I am not the only one who feels this way.

Getting back to my earlier worry, I glance in his direction and think of what I need to say to convince him to let me return to my friends, at least to let me tell them I am alright. I don't want them to go looking for me after all.

"I would like to return to my campsite to retrieve my belongings and see my friends." Seeing him about to respond, I rush on to finish what I want to say. "I know that you and Inuyasha have never been allies, but I must finish what I am here to do. I know that you will understand my need for this, not because I wish it, but because this is my duty as the Guardian of the Shikon no Tama." Feeling his understanding, his deep baritone comforts me in a way I could never have imagined, before I realize that I didn't hear him. Amusement dances in his eyes and then to my astonishment, he repeats himself.

"For you my mate, do I repeat my words. You have honor, one reason I love you. This among many others is why I chose you. I knew of your desire to finish this quest long before we mated. I will honor your obligation and return with you to your companions. We will find the remaining jewel shards together so that I can keep you safe from harm and then we will return to the Western Lands once the jewel is no more. I presume this arrangement will be acceptable to you?"

Blinking rapidly, I come out of the lustful haze his voice lulled me into and then slowly comprehend what he said. Wondering how he can do that with just his voice, I ask him.

"How can you do that? With even one word, I am quivering in need for you."

He slowly walks toward me, almost as if I am his prey and he is stalking me. A shiver runs down my spine at the thought and my knees grow week. I close my eyes when I feel the warmth from his body and reach out to him because I cannot help myself. Wrapping my arms around his neck and brushing my fingers through his silky hair, I am content. Coming out of my trance-like state, his breath on my neck startles me. Wide eyes turn to his amber depths and I start to lose my clarity all over again.

Amused at my reaction and feeling my need for him through our link, he nips at my neck and begins to speak quietly, stopping to nip my ear from time to time. "I assure you love that your reaction is most welcome and although it will diminish over time, do not hesitate to act upon these feelings if you feel the need for……release." I feel his utter smugness about the situation and resist the urge to bite him. It would start something that I would love to finish at the moment, but need to resist in order to keep what little sanity I have left, intact.

Stepping away from my smug, devilishly handsome taiyoukai, I head toward our pile of clothes and begin the act of dressing. I am usually the most modest woman I know and I have been officially walking around in my birthday suit all morning long and didn't even realize it until now. I have no idea why I react to him the way I do, but I intend to find out.

"Oh Kami…what is he doing to me?" I whisper to myself and unknowingly to my taiyoukai as well. Needless to say, I am shocked speechless when I get an answer to my question. "Absolutely nothing love, I am merely basking in the after effects of our mating." He practically purrs in my ear, breathing deeply of my scent in the process. Knowing exactly what he is up to, I absolutely refuse to take the bait. He is trying to make me give into my desires. I have more pride than that and it will take more than a deep breath and close proximity to make me throw caution to the wind. Feeling his contentment and amusement at my refusal to take the bait, he smiles wickedly in my direction, before replacing his usual mask. Understanding my questions without even having to ask them, he turns to me and watches me dress. Seeing the gleam in his eye, I know he is very much enjoying the view.

Realizing that his baiting isn't giving him the desired effect, he returns his stoic mask and starts to dress immediately after admiring the view. Turning toward my mate, I help him into his silks and make sure to feel as much of his skin as possible, flicking his nipples included. Smirking devilishly at the sharp intake of breath from my mate, I wink suggestively and give him hope for later.

"Sesshomaru-sama, after we have met up with my friends and everything has been taken care of, I promise that we can go somewhere and be alone. All I ask is that you refrain from fighting with Inuyasha today. He is going to be furious with me already, thinking that I betrayed him and I don't want to have to worry about you. Please, love, grant me this one boon I ask of you."

Nodding once in affirmation, I smile and give him another chaste kiss. After we are fully dressed and everything is in order for my return to camp, we leave the spring. With one long sweeping glance, I take in the appearance and exact location of where my virginity was lost and where I found my love. Taking a picture in my mind, I try to make it a lasting scene I can always remember if I am lonely or want to revisit this place in the future.

With one arm, he wraps me in his embrace and summons his cloud. Holding tightly to him, we begin to fly in the direction of camp and I brace myself for the upcoming scene and hope to any Kami listening that Inuyasha will not do anything rash.

Alright everyone! I hate to leave it there, but I have two other stories I am trying to update and I just don't have anymore time to write this one at the moment. I promise I will TRY to update at least once a week, but circumstances don't always allow me to. If I have the time, I will try to get out as much as I can.

Please review!!! Let me know what you think. If you like it let me know what you liked and if you didn't, tell me why. Thanks again for reading and I hope you all enjoyed.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi all. I am sorry for the delay, but my little man has been sick for the past two weeks and so production as been slow. Good news is that I am done with the next chapter too, so I should have that out in a few days. Lets get down to business. All the usual disclaimers apply. I do NOT own Inuyasha or any subsidiaries therein. If I did, I would probably go find a Sesshomaru look alike so that I could act out the good parts of my stories before I posted them!! Wouldn't that be exciting? Anyways, now that all the boring stuff is out of the way, on with the story! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

And Please REVIEW!! They give me the strength to get chapters out really, really fast. The more I get the faster I will post!!!! LOL.

Soul Consumption

Chapter 3

Outbursts That Change Your Life

Sesshomaru woke before dawn and immediately sent his aura toward the surrounding forest, searching for anything that could be a threat to his mate. Feeling two disturbances in his senses, he unwound himself from her comforting embrace and set out to destroy both demons post-haste, but not before completely covering her bareness with his moko-moko and quickly dressing. Once satisfied she was sufficiently covered and that she would not be disturbed while he was away, he grabbed Tokijin and left their sanctuary. Moving through the forest at speeds too fast for the human eye, he came upon the first demon in less than a minute. Dispatching the pitiful excuse for a full demon in mere moments, he frowned.

'There was no way this demon could possibly have had such a powerful aura as to attract me, but this is the location I felt the power. Perhaps this was merely a ploy to lure this Sesshomaru from his mate by Naraku!'

Eyes flashing crimson at the mention of their mate in danger, Sesshomaru's beast roared in challenge and immediately voiced its' thoughts.

"We must protect our mate at all cost, even death. She must come to no harm. There is no possible chance this weakling could have been responsible for the power we felt. Could there be something that gave it a power surge nearby, perhaps an amulet or potion bottle?"

Hearing his beasts' thoughts, he quickly scanned the area for anything that could have been used for such a task. Finding nothing, he ran as fast as his demon limbs could take him to the other strong demon aura he had sensed in his earlier search. Spotting it up ahead a few minutes later, he called forth his acid whip to make quick work of the beast. Feeling another power surge before the instant his whip made contact, his eyes narrowed minutely as he spotted a spider mark on the beasts forearm, but watched it peel from the skin and vanish upon destruction of the fire demon.

'Obviously that demon was meant to lure me away form my mate and there is no other demon but Naraku that has a spider mark of that sort that this Sesshomaru has encountered.'

Feeling his beast stir in response to his thoughts, he began an internal conversation with his beast; desperately trying to fathom the vile atrocities that half-demon scum had planned for the future/

'What could he be planning?'

"There are no exceptions to his plots, no rules or honor where he is concerned. He cares not how he accomplishes his tasks, just as long as he accomplishes them."

'Perhaps he has a plot to kidnap what is ours?' Roaring in anger at the thought, his beast commented on this recent development, while turning back toward the hot springs and summoning his demon cloud.

"If this is what the vile half-demon wants, we must be more vigilant in our protection of out mate. She must not leave our side."

'Indeed.'

Sesshomaru continued to contemplate this possible revelation and other such plots, until he arrived back at their sanctuary when all thoughts fled his mind as he gazed upon his beloved.

'Breathtaking.'

"Indeed." Responded his beast in Sesshomaru-like fashion.

Remembering to have a talk with my beast about recent liberties it has taken upon itself, he dismissed these thoughts as his mate began to stir. Sensing this, he quickly undressed and lay down beside her so she would never know he had left. Feeling her move, he heard her heart begin to race and her breath turn into quick pants before she finally started getting her body under control again.

_Sesshomaru P.O.V._

With one deep breath I can smell a hint of arousal and the evidence of our coupling from last night. That deliciously spicy scent of hers will be the death of me one day. I hear my beast growl suggestively and see flashes of pale skin and long ebony hair in my mind and at the sight, I can feel my cock begin to swell.

'How are you doing this?'

"Why are you bothered by these images?"

'Be still! What gives you the right to do such things to this Sesshomaru?'

"Stop talking nonsense. You are enjoying this as much as I am!"

'Why must you torture me? Are we not one being? You know how sore she must be after last night. We cannot possibly take her again so soon and yet you torture us with erotic images of the mate that you "could not possibly live without" when nothing can come of it.'

"But this is so much fun! I finally have enough control to break your emotionless façade and I refuse to give that up."

'I refuse to be over powered by your mindless tricks and how dare you defy this Sesshomaru!'

"You were not over powered by my "mindless tricks." I was merely the dominant one at the time because you do not show emotions and they play a powerful part in the dominance of each of our beings in this body; besides, I was not defying you, I was merely dominant to you because I do not shy away from feelings and emotions. They are not weakness, but great strength and once you realize this, you and I will become one, instead of two separate entities."

'You know not what you speak. You said we would become one when I released your chains and we are still two separate souls within.'

"You have yet to fully accept my demon beast and therefore, we are not one. We must fully combine our strengths and my "so called" weaknesses before we can truly harness our incredible combined power. You have yet to realize our true potential and until you do, our mate is in danger."

'How dare you speak such blasphemy! I am the most powerful demon and Lord in all of Japan and I have nothing more to say to you. Be silent, our mate is expecting us.'

"We shall continue this at a later time."

'Indeed.'

My cock is still enlarged and my mate is practically purring for me as I suddenly realize I have been running my hands along her body, gracing her pleasure points with extra attention. Roaring loudly in my mind I am enraged that I was distracted enough with our conversation that I didn't realize my beast had been fondling our mate. I will not deny that I had much the same ideas as he, but he also knew she would be too sore to enjoy this coupling. However, I am not so strong a demon that I can deny my mate pleasure, so I began nipping and sucking my way down her body. Reaching the apex of her legs, I begin my feast on her treasure. Feeling her legs spread and seeing her submissive posture, I growl in approval to her. Apparently, she is picking up on the Inu tongue much faster than I would have given her credit for.

Thrusting my tongue into her dripping folds, I devour her in appreciation for being such a good submissive bitch. Hearing her moans of pleasure only goads my beast further. Feeling my eyes bleed red, I know that my beast is not trying to take over, but merely wanting in on the fun. Feeling her fists in my hair, I nibble on her clit as I hear her keening in pleasure and thrust my fingers into her warm dripping core; grinning in anticipation when she bucks desperately and then grinds against the offending digits. Replacing my fingers with my tongue, I begin to suckle greedily of her nectar and she groans loudly in response. Forcefully thrusting into her heat I begin to pick up the pace, while using my claws to flick her clit. Swapping tongue and claws, I thrust my tongue deep into her sheath and continue my torture of her delicious body. Brushing my fang against her clit, she moans loudly and bucks her hips involuntarily. Feeling her getting closer and closer to climax, I tease her relentlessly, feeling her desperation through our link.

Slowing the pace just enough to keep her wanting more, I continue to back off and pace myself. When she nearly screams in frustration, I feel her hands circle my head and fight desperately to pull me to her. Giving in when I hear her growl threateningly, I decide it's time to give her what she wants. Slowly creeping up her body, I reach her breasts and cannot resist biting into her flesh again. She rakes her nails down my back with enough force to draw blood and I howl at the pleasure of it, before plunging into her awaiting heat. Suddenly, she is screaming her orgasm to the heavens and before she can recover from the force of it, she is once again on the brink of release. Feeling her so close to mindless bliss, I pull all the way out of her and slam in so hard I feel her womb relocate and grin devilishly at that before all thoughts leave me as she orgasms again and milks me for all I am worth. Panting harshly, we collapse into a pile of limbs and I wrap my arms around her.

Hours later, she finally begins to stir and I grin at her as she looks at me in puzzlement. I have been up for quite a while and have been content just to have her in my arms. She feels the contentment and love from me and smiles beautifully before giving me a chaste kiss and turning to stretch. I feel her aches and pains like they are my own and am there to catch her when she had trouble. I lift her with ease and begin the trek toward the lake. Feeling her distress when I do not slow down, I lock my arms as she starts to struggle and hide the grin I feel coming. She squeals due to the cold, but slowly relaxes in my arms. Once she is calmed I growl low in my throat to explain the need for washing. When I feel her understanding, I put her down and reveal the cloth and soap I found while I was waiting for my mate to wake. When she takes the cloth and begins to lather it, I move toward her so I can wash her myself. We do the same for each other and then I take her in my arms and move toward our pile of clothes.

Reaching the shore, I know that she is having an internal conversation and I feel her different emotions as they move through me. I tentatively taste them on my tongue and try to ascertain how she can feel so many different things at one time. The thing that troubles me the most is not that she can feel these things, but that I cannot. I know what each of these feelings is, at least what they mean for any given individual, but I have yet to experience any of these save a few. Just as soon as the torrent of emotions and feelings begins, they end and then I see her reaching to her neck to rub her mark. Watching her shiver, I feel my cock pulse in response and then her unconditional love when she realizes it is not just a bite, but a crest and then I feel her absolute acceptance when she reads what she means to me. Again, I am taken on a trip through her torrent of emotions and then I hear her thinking that destiny had something to do with our coupling and I cannot help but to growl in approval.

When she asks me about returning to her campsite, I can only sigh. After all, I knew it would come up sooner or later, I was just hoping for later. As I give my response, I know that she hasn't heard me and I repeat myself at her dubious look.

"For you my mate, do I repeat my words. You have honor, one reason I love you. This among many others is why I chose you. I knew of your desire to finish this quest long before we mated. I will honor your obligation and return with you to your companions. We will find the remaining jewel shards together so that I can keep you safe from harm and then we will return to the Western Lands once the jewel is no more. I presume this arrangement will be acceptable to you?"

I feel her lust at the initial sound of my voice and my body starts to respond as well. When she speaks, I act on instinct. "How can you do that? With even one word I am quivering in need for you." I stalk her in response to her shiver and pounce when I smell her arousal spike. I watch her close her eyes and feel her wrap her arms around my neck, brushing her fingers through my hair. Suddenly, she is startled at our close proximity and I smile wickedly. Amused at her reaction, I nip at her neck and speak quietly into her ear, nibbling every once in a while. "I assure you love that your reaction is most welcome and although it will diminish over time, do not hesitate to act upon these feelings if you feel the need for….release."

As she steps away, she must have just realized she has been naked for quite some time because she is desperately trying to dress as quickly as possible. Of course she starts to talk to herself again and I must naturally respond. "Absolutely nothing love, I am merely basking in the after effects of our mating." I breathe in deeply of her heavenly scent and then am highly disappointed when she doesn't turn to putty in my hands. Once I realize we are done mating for now, I despondently set to work with dressing so that I am not the only one naked. When she begins to help me, I breathe in sharply when she flicks my nipples. Growling softly, I promise retribution for her acts and she then gives me incentive to behave. Nodding in affirmation, she smiles at me and then gives me a chaste kiss. After she has fully taken in her surroundings, I gather her in my embrace and summon my cloud. I can feel her tense in my arms and know she is trying to imagine the reaction of the whelp and her friends. Though their initial reaction will undoubtedly include shock, anger, many questions, and even betrayal from the whelp, but I have no double they will eventually push any negative feelings or actions aside, should they want to finish the jewel and dispose of Naraku. However, should they no longer wish to keep Kagome on as a part of the pack and shard detector, then I have no qualms about returning to the Western Lands with my mate. The other Lords will be distrustful and might even try to start a war, but with my powerful miko and my limitless power, we will overcome all obstacles and be victorious.

Getting back to more important matters, I see Edo coming quickly into view. Feeling my mate tense and smelling her apprehension, I growl comfortingly to her and try to calm her before we arrive. I would hate to have to kill them all for upsetting my mate, but seeing as there may be no other choice; I guess I will have to comply. Grinning gleefully at the thought, I look over to my mate and see her seething in my embrace. Shit! Apparently, she heard my thoughts just now. I didn't think she had advanced that far into our mating. She should be nowhere near my capabilities of mind reading! How is this possible? Seeing her eyes flash in fury, I prepare for whatever it is she will do and hold my breath. She merely glances at me in disdain before jumping off my cloud and landing in her camp before I can do as much as release my held breath.

Unbelievingly staring back at her, she smirks at me and her eyes flash in fury once more before she turns from my sight to confront her friends. Seeing the whelp, monk, demon exterminator and fox kit surround her; I immediately get closer so that I may hear what is being said. Landing gracefully on the ground just outside the campsite, I return my stoic mask to perfection and reach Kagome's side in a matter of moments. I can still feel her anger about my earlier thoughts, however; there is nothing I can do about past mistakes and she will have to forgive my contemptuous thoughts. After all, I was only looking after her best interests; her happiness is my first priority as her alpha.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HER YOU BASTARD???!!!"

Suddenly, loud screeching hits my sensitive ears and I grimace in distaste before I glance toward the noise and see Inuyasha and Kagome screaming at each other. Rather, Kagome is getting screamed at. From the look of things, Inuyasha has smelled my presence all over her and is having a jealous outburst. Of course, he has yet to see the mating mark and because he isn't letting her get a word in between his screams, he will just have to find out from me. This should be interesting.

Appearing almost immediately in front of Kagome due to my demon reflexes, I grab her around the waist and crush her lips with mine in a fierce kiss. Hearing the sharp intake of breath coming from the half-breed, followed closely by a fierce growl, I pull sharply away and block the Tetssiaga in mid swing with Tojikin. Growling low in my throat, I hiss when he pulls swiftly back and swings in a wide arc, determined to take off my head. Protecting my mate, I pull her body flush against mine and then move swiftly out of danger. Once she is far enough away as not to be hurt by the maddened whelp, I return to the battle, intent on making him pay for the near death of my mate; for had I not been there to save her from him, she would have surely perished. Hardly breaking a sweat, I block his sword repeatedly, slicing his left shoulder with my blade and using my claws to deepen the wound, I seep in some poison to make it fester. Hearing his mindless howl I nearly smirk gleefully, but hold back when I feel the anger of my mate once again.

"SIT BOY" is yelled so loudly after my last attack that I nearly growl in annoyance. The only thing that holds me back is the knowledge that I will not be able to mate for a very long time if I do anything else to annoy my beloved. Returning to the present, I see that Inuyasha is once again face first in a crater. Once my Kagome calms, he is released from the spell and he stands once again to face her. I can see the deep hurt and betrayal in his eyes and for just one moment in time, I am not the regal Lord of the Western Lands, but merely his older brother and I cannot help myself when I start toward him. Before I can regain my equilibrium, I embrace him and growl lowly in my throat. Comforting him on such a primal level, he calms in my arms almost immediately. Realizing I am his alpha, he begins to whimper and then he slowly moves his head to the right in submission. I smell his fear almost immediately. He has known so little love from his kind that he fears I will end him. Fool. I cannot blame him, but I refuse to allow this foolishness to continue. Growling fiercely, he straightens and his eyes go wide, not knowing what to expect from this Sesshomaru. There is nothing I can do about his past, but I refuse to let him waste away his future. There is no life for him with the dead priestess and he must realize that before we can move on to other more important matters. Growling again, I start to speak in the language of our ancestors, presuming that he will understand me more on a primal level, where there is no judgment and hatred to block the path to understanding.

I see his eyes glaze over and I know that he is hearing me. The reaction to my words will determine what takes place next, however and for once he does not disappoint me. Once again submitting to me by baring his neck, he glances at my mate and moves toward her. Growling low in my throat, I warn him of the consequences, should he harm her in any way, for now she is my alpha bitch and head of the pack when I am absent. Nodding once in understanding, he stops in front of her and looks to her mark. Moving to sniff her and the mark, he glances at me in question before looking to her once again. After I give the affirmative and she moves her head slightly so that he may look upon her form unhindered, he inhales deeply of her scent and once he is convinced that she is truly my mate and the alpha bitch in our pack, he steps back and takes his rightful place, two steps behind us with his head down.

Knowing that he and I have just reunited again and rejoined the bond that connected the only sons of Inu no Taisho, I come to the conclusion that I need to teach him the ways of a Lord, for now he will rule the Western Lands by my side, as it should have been, if not for my pride and resentment of the fact that my mother had to die for him to be born. But such things are in the past, where they should have remained for all these years and if it had not been for Kagome, I do not think I ever would have reconciled with my brother. She has the ability to bring out the best in anyone and she need not even try. Perhaps that is what made me fall in love with her. I have yet to feel anything for any other living creature, but something tells me that Inuyasha and I will get closer the longer we are together.

Perhaps, one day we will at least come to a mutual beneficial arrangement, but for now we need to continue our travels to the Western Lands so that I can begin to train Inuyasha in the ways of a lord and then train Kagome in what will be required of her as the Lady of the Western Lands. There is much to do and not very much time to do them in. We must go now before the other Lords realize I have taken a mate that is not a demon. She must be tutored in the old ways so that when they come to test her worth, they are not found wanting. We must make haste, there are spies everywhere! The other Lords could be on their way to test her at this moment. There is no time to lose. Sensing the urgency and apprehension from me, my mate looks at me worriedly. Trying to calm her for the moment, I growl comfortingly. There is no sense in worrying her just yet. She will be informed shortly after we arrive at the palace of the dire situation we are in.

Turning toward Kagome and Inuyasha, I speak in our ancient tongue to tell them what needs to be accomplished. Both nodding in understanding, they turn to gather their belongings. Inuyasha had been traveling with the others before we arrived, but he monk and demon exterminator had gone back to Kaede's village to prepare for their wedding ceremony and to begin building their new home shortly after our arrival. Apparently, Kagome had told them the news of our mating while Inuyasha was ranting and they had decided to go ahead to the village. I can feel my beloved's happiness at this revelation and this time I do not try to hide the smirk that comes to my face. I know that she will want to come back to the village when they have the ceremony and I will not deny her this. They are all very close, in a way I regret taking her away from them, but before we can continue the journey for the Shikon no Tama, I must first prepare them for what will be required of them. We will be at the palace training for one solid month. Once this is completed, we will once again set out for the jewel. The monk and demon exterminator may join us later if they wish. I will not deny my mate her only friends in this time.

Sniffing Shippo where Kagome is gathering her hideous yellow pack, I smirk when I smell fear coming off him in waves. He is afraid we will leave him here alone. Glancing toward my mate, I nod to her when she pleads with her eyes for him. I have known that he is her son in every sense of the word for quite some time now and to ask her to leave him behind would be like asking her to stop taking air into her breast. Smiling brightly in my direction, she holds out her arms to the little kit and laughs joyously when he bounds into them. Now the pack is complete. My mate, her kit, Rin and now Inuyasha; we will never again be apart. We will be forever bound to each other now. We must do all we can to protect each other and that means that I must teach Inuyasha to master the Tetssaiga, Kagome to master her archery and another weapon of her choice, and finally Shippo to master his Fox magic and demon abilities. This will also enable us to more efficiently destroy the vile hanyou when the opportunity presents itself.

Glancing toward the others again I see they are ready to leave and I am surprised at their speed. Usually this would be a fight, but perhaps Inuyasha has finally come to know his place in this world.

"Oi Fluffy, are we going or what?"

Perhaps not.

Sigh.

It appears that I have much work to do. We must move quicker than I thought.

On to the Western Lands.

Alright everyone! That will do it for this chapter. I hope it wasn't disappointing. I tried to make it so that Sesshomaru was slightly different from the anime, but not so that he was completely out of character. I happen to believe that eventually he and Inuyasha will come to an understanding of some sort. They live for centuries after all. Anyways, I will try to update as soon as possible, but I am writing three other stories at the moment and I am trying to do them all at the same time. It is really hectic on my part, but I promise I will make every effort to get these chapters out in a timely manner. As always, reviews give me the motivation to get my stories out faster. Thanks again for reading and I hope you all join me again for the next installment of Soul Consumption. Ja ne.


	4. Chapter 4

Hi all. Again, I am sorry about the delay. As I said in the last chapter, I already had this chapter written when I posted the last chapter, but circumstances being what they were, my computer decided to crash on me before I had the chance to save my story to the backup I keep current. With the computer crash, I had to officially start all over again, not only with this chapter, but with two others I had been working on. Again, I am really sorry it took so long for this to come out, but this time it wasn't my fault…lol…at least not totally my fault. I ended up having to send it off to the manufacturer for a week to get my third replacement hard drive for this damned lemon. The good news is that Best Buy has a no lemon policy and since I bought it from them, if my new hard drive crashes again, then I finally get a NEW computer!!!

Yay…now that I have explained my tardiness, thanks for joining me in this next installment of Soul Consumption and as always, the usual disclaimers apply. I do NOT own Inuyasha and its characters or any subsidiaries within. I write for my pleasure and yours and I do hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it….TWICE….Please don't forget to review….I look at a lot of other stories that were posted around the same time that this one was and they all have like 50-100 reviews and I have to wonder if I am doing something wrong? If I am, please let me know what it is, so that I can fix it because reviews are what keep me going…they give me the inspiration to keep posting down these stories. Thank you for reading and on with the show…..

A side note for this chapter……this chapter will bounce back from the last chapter to what is happening in this one. There will be things added in this chapter that are continuations from the last chapter that were not mentioned in chapter 3 simply because I have something special in mind for our fabulous characters. Please bear with me and if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to review..

Soul Consumption

Chapter 4

Opposites Attract

_**Inuyasha's P.O.V.**_

It has been three days since Sesshomaru and Kagome first landed in the campsite and the only thing I could think about when she first walked slowly into camp was the way she smelled like Sesshomaru. It wasn't the smell of being protected from danger or accidentally brushing against one another, not that that would happen in any situation anyway, but the only thing I kept thinking was 'what the fuck did he do to you?'

And since I am not one to think things through before blurting out anything that comes to mind, I made sure to yell at the top of my lungs, "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO HER YOU BASTARD?!? Immediately afterward, I grabbed her by the arm and forcefully pulled her toward my body so that I could get a better whiff of her new scent, but before I could get close enough, Sesshomaru appeared directly in front of me and pulled Kagome from my grasp so quickly, that my reflexes couldn't react fast enough.

Of course, in that next moment, he was growling so deeply in warning, I thought for a moment that he was going to lunge at me and try to tear out my heart, but then I remembered that this was Sesshomaru, the ice bastard of the West, and I gave him my confident smirk in return. He might want to keep me away from Kagome at the moment, but she is my bitch and I will not allow it! Reaching for her again, I am shocked to see her step back into Sesshomaru's embrace and then my jaw drops almost to the ground when I see his arms go around her in a tight embrace.

"What the fuck is going on Kagome?" I see her cringe at the hurt and betrayal I let come into my voice and I feel my beast begin to stir. I feel him starting to pull against the chains I have him bound in, even with Tetssaiga at my side. Trying my best to calm him into relaxing enough to at least be able to hear her explanation, I look into her eyes and hope to all the Kami I have ever heard of that my nose is wrong and that they are not mated. I see her step away from my bastard half brother and I step back, away from her. I do not want to hurt her, but I don't know what I will do if she touches me.

"Inuyasha, I came back to camp because I needed to grab my yellow pack and because I needed to tell you that I am Sesshomaru's mate. I swear I never meant to hurt you and I know that you are going to think I betrayed you, but you have to think of the situation we were in, through my eyes. Did you ever think of how I felt every time you snuck off to see Kikyo? Did you, even once, care about how you broke my heart every time you embraced her? How did you think I was going to react? Did you even think of my feelings at all? Did I even cross your mind? Did you think I would just stand by forever and wait for you, with my heart in my hand? After six years, you have yet to choose between your dead priestess and me. I made the decision for myself when I couldn't take the pain anymore. For as long as I can remember, I have been in love with you and after all these years, you still denied me the only thing I ever wanted. Simply, to be loved and cherished and you were never going to give me that, so I took the opportunity presented to me and ended up finding my soul mate. I am sorry that I had to tell you like this, but there was no other way. I hope you find happiness one day. You really deserve it even if it isn't with me, I will be content to see you find a family of your own one day, just as I have found mine. Until then, I will always be here for you and remember that I love you now and forever."

I listen to her speaking and I can't help the wave of sorrow that washes over me. I never realized I was hurting her and to make it worse, I was the one that drove her into the arms of another man, when all I had ever wanted to do is keep her safe and away from any man that would hurt her in the end. But she is right, I didn't treat her the way I should have and I lost her because of it. I acted like she was mine anytime a man or demon came after her, trying to claim her for themselves, but when it came down to it, I never let her know how much she meant to me and it cost me everything. Coming out of my inner thoughts, I see Sesshomaru appear beside her and crush their lips together in a passionate embrace without warning and I see for myself just how right they are together. Light and dark, good and evil, the perfect polar opposites and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it.

Flashback of events with a twist

Suddenly, a searing pain nearly brings me to my knees as it shoots the length of my body. I howl in pain before I lose consciousness and then I know no more.

Feeling the anger and pain wash over me, I take over so quickly he has no time to react and try to cage me. She is MINE! There is no other for her but me….she cannot leave me, I will not allow it! Running forward as they are finishing the kiss, Sesshomaru blocks and I pull back swiftly, attacking again, before swinging in a wide ark, designed to take off his head. Tetssaiga and Tokijin clash and sparks fly as the two demonic swords battle for dominance and Sesshomaru roars in fury at the possibility of his mate being hurt because the attack came deathly close to making contact with her. He pulls Kagome flush against his body and moves faster than the blink of an eye over the far side of the clearing to ensure her safety and then is charging again with Tokijin held high above his head and a venomous look in his eyes. He is beyond pissed that I endangered his bitch, but I would never hurt her. She is MY bitch! Swords clashing again and again, he turns to the left and fakes right, catching me off guard just enough to slice me across the left shoulder and then to add insult to injury, he rakes his claws against the seeping wound and slips in some poison to make it fester. Suddenly, Kagome screams "SIT BOY!" and I am thrown to the earth in a mighty pile of limbs and dirt. Once she calms down enough to take deep breaths, the spell is released and I am once again allowed to stand. I lift myself from the ground and lose my breath at the immense pain that shoots through my body. The wound in my shoulder is bleeding profusely and the poison in my blood would have already brought a weaker creature to his death, but I refuse to fall to Sesshomaru. I will not give him the satisfaction of seeing me die, besides, he didn't put enough poison into the wound to be fatal, and he merely used it to make the pain much more intense.

Howling in pain once again, I feel myself get weaker as Inuyasha begins to assert his control. Before he can completely overpower me, I rush toward her to show her whose bitch she is when I am thrown back from the power of Tokijin and Sesshomaru. I lose my last thread of control over Inuyasha on impact with the ground and feel the chains reassert themselves once again. I whine piteously in protest, desperate to once again be free so that I might be able to experience some of the things my other half cherishes so much and feel him nod in acceptance of my request, on the condition that I not take complete control and become a mindless blood lusting monster.

He has accepted me completely and now we can finally bond so that we are one being. We will have all of my strengths and his, without all of the weaknesses we shared. We begin to merge and immediately feel the changes within ourselves. We feel our body reach new heights, growing another six inches and the strips on our cheeks become pronounced. We are not a full demon, but we are very close. The beast and the human have become inseparable. There will no longer be human nights and our body will grow stronger the longer we go without them. We should now be a formidable foe against our enemies, but most of all, we should have little problem killing Naraku with the help of our pack.

Standing after the transformation is complete; I look toward Sesshomaru and Kagome and see that they both have baffled looks of disbelief on their faces. I see an emotion pass through Sesshomaru's eyes so quickly, that I half believe it was merely my mind playing tricks on me and then I am left speechless when he walks toward me with this completely sorrowful and regretting look on his face, before he embraces me like the brother he had not acknowledged until this very moment. I start to fight against this horrible trick to destroy all the sanity I have left until he starts growling low in his throat in the ancient Inu tongue of our ancestors. I almost immediately still in his embrace and whimpering in fear and despair, I bare my neck to him, acknowledging him as the alpha male of our pack.

Suddenly, he growls fiercely in my ears and I lift my head to look at him, shocked and wide eyed, wondering what he wants with me. Again, he growls toward me in the Inu language and explains that I need to give up Kikyo because she is not of this world and there is no place for her at my side. He also informs me that I am to become a Lord as well. I will be his equal in everyway and as the station requires, I must be trained. With no judgment and hatred to block the path of understanding, I realize that although I will always love Kikyo, she is no longer of this world and I need to move on. Perhaps one day I will meet someone that is worthy of the Taisho Legacy and therefore take a mate, but until then, he tells me that I should be happy in the knowledge that I will rule the Western Lands beside him, Sesshomaru, and that we must leave post haste to begin training at once. He informs me that we will train from dawn until dusk for one month straight and after that time, we will once again continue the search for the Shikon no Tama. It is still high on the list of priorities, but it will have to wait for now.

Sesshomaru finishes speaking to me in our native tongue and I realize then that he is waiting for an acknowledgment from me. Again, I bare my neck in submission and he is content with the action. Stepping away from him, I turn toward Kagome and head in her direction. Hearing Sesshomaru's growl of warning, I nod in his direction; I understand that her safety is his first priority and I have no intention of hurting her in any way. Stopping in front of her, she moves her head to the side so that I may see her mark and smell her scent. Taking a deep breath, I smell that she is undeniably his and that she is absolutely happy and I nod in acceptance. She hugs me deliriously and laughs happily when she feels I have accepted her as the alpha female of the pack and I am not mad at her for what has happened. I hug her back fiercely and then step behind her, waiting for Sesshomaru to give orders as to what we should do.

A few minutes later when he has finished telling us what needs to be done before we can break camp and head toward the Western Lands so that we can begin our training immediately, Kagome starts packing her belongings and I put out the fire and throw the left over rabbit from dinner the night before back into the forest so another forest creature may snack on it. Once everything is done, I go and stand by Sesshomaru, while Kagome looks around the camp one last time. Seeing Shippo hiding behind a tree and feeling his distress and fear, she immediately goes to comfort him. Realizing that she must ask Sesshomaru first, she comes to a stop and turns toward him with pleading eyes and I chuckle silently to myself. She has used the 'Doe Eyes' attack on me many a time and I am unable to deny her whatever she wants when she uses it. I have no idea why, but it is so undeniably difficult to say no when she looks so unbelievably adorable. There is no other way to describe her when she does that. She looks so innocent and fragile at that moment; I am always trapped, feet frozen in place when she turns to me with that expression on her face. I look toward Sesshomaru and see that he is actually smiling at her antics and I nearly swallow my tongue at this realization. He nods his head almost unnoticeably and Kagome squeals in delight before turning toward Shippo, holding out her arms. She laughs joyously when he jumps into her embrace and starts crying happy tears because he wasn't being left behind. She smiles down at him and whispers into his ear, 'I would never, ever leave you behind because you are my son and I love you with all my heart. Don't ever forget that, little one." He wipes his tears away and smiles brightly at her once more and she begins to walk toward her mate. She stops beside Sesshomaru and glances back at me to make sure that I am still here, apparently, and then she smiles at me and nods her head. I think she approves that I am coming with her. Well, she is crazy if she thinks I would let her go to the Western Lands without me, even for a second. I made a vow four years ago that I would protect her and I haven't broken it yet. Patience does not run in my veins and after standing there for another couple minutes, I can't help the words that come tumbling out of my mouth.

"Oi Fluffy, are we going or what?"

With a nod from Sesshomaru and a disgruntled sigh for the disrespect showing and the horrible nickname, we begin the long journey to the west and hope that we don't run into any of Naraku's spies. I would hate to spoil the surprise when he sees me for the first time and realizes that I am no mere half demon any longer, but a full demon with all the powers to go along with being such. I wonder what my new powers will be. Could it be that I was able to become a full demon because of the strength of my father's blood? Maybe Sesshomaru will know, or at least have an acquaintance that would. Enough wondering for now, I won't get any answers for the moment so I might as well enjoy the sights, scents, and beautiful lands we are passing through. Besides, if I spend all my time daydreaming, I might miss finding my perfect mate and there where would I be?

_**Kagome P.O.V.**_

Looking over my shoulder, I see that Inuyasha has changed, not just on the outside, but on the inside as well. I can feel his jaki surrounding him and it feels much like the jaki surrounding Sesshomaru. When we arrive at the palace of the Western Lands, I will have to sit down and have a long talk with him, so that I may learn the secret of his transformation. Glancing at my mate, I feel my arousal spike almost imperceptively. I wonder if he can smell it. One wicked look and playful wink on his part and I am left flushing embarrassingly, however; there is nothing I can do. He is the perfect male specimen and I cannot help my reaction to him. Of course, I can sense his emotions now and I know for a fact that I am not the only one affected by our close proximity and delicious remembrances of our love making.

I distinctly detect a hint of arousal from my mate beside me and I nearly moan at the scent. Knowing I am not the only one affected by our close proximity and our delicious memories of lovemaking, I smile in spite of myself. Of course, that is when I realize that if Sesshomaru and I can smell our arousal, then Inuyasha with his new found full demon abilities can as well. I blush profusely at this and immediately look behind Sesshomaru to see if Inuyasha has indeed been privy to our combined arousal. Seeing an absolutely mortified and uncomfortable look on his face, I feel my embarrassment nearly triple in strength and I bow my head in defeat. Apparently at this very moment, Sesshomaru decides to make Inuyasha suffer for all the idiocy he has had to endure all these long years and moves closer to my person and before I can react, he wraps his arms around me and thrusts his tongue into my mouth. Moaning at the feel of his body flush against mine, I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him as close as possible. Feeling my arousal begin to wet my panties, I hear him groan in pleasure at the scent. Of course, at that exact moment, I heard Inuyasha clear his throat embarrassed at the scene before him and my body immediately blushes a bright red. Backing away from Sesshomaru with a look of barely suppressed fury in my eyes, I see him grimace at the sight before him and I feel his hesitance to do or say anything, lest he make me even more furious at the moment.

Nostrils' flaring at the audacity my mate has at making Inuyasha feel so utterly uncomfortable, I snarl at him fiercely when he approaches me and he immediately backs off. Taking Inuyasha by the arm, I walk with him, side by side, ahead of Sesshomaru, completely ignoring him as we walk by. Seeing Inuyasha smirk cockily at him, I feel my mate's utter fury at being ignored and I smirk right along with Inuyasha. In the back of my mind, I feel Sesshomaru prodding my mind, determined to know whether I would leave him for Inuyasha or not and I nearly scream obscenities. How dare he? He honestly thinks that I would leave him for his brother after all we have been through? Feeling my miko ki immediately responding to the threat in my mind and of my heart, I see his immediate flinch as he tries to leave my mind and my ki forcefully grabs him back. Holding his internal jaki within myself, I start to purify it, slowly eating away his power. In the back of my mind, I feel him screaming physically and I grimace at the damage I am causing him, but I refuse to let go. He will never touch me again after this! I swear it! I should never have mated with this stubborn, pigheaded demon and I will make damn sure he never again tries to come anywhere near me.

I am pulled out of my concentration when Inuyasha's arms come around my physical body and I flinch in response. Shaking my head to clear it, I open my eyes and blink profusely, trying to get my vision to clear. Hearing Sesshomaru's low growls of warning and promised retribution, I wince before I can catch myself and glance in his direction. I immediately feel his drop in jaki and demonic energy. Satisfaction enters me at the realization that I was the one to diminish his power and I grin maliciously in response. Gazing into his eyes with triumph all over my face, I am shocked to see him on his knees, holding his head in pain. He isn't even looking in my direction and I can tell he is furious at my brutal act of retribution for his own. Knowing that he is sorry for what he was trying to do, doesn't lessen the pain and betrayal I feel, even in the slightest. With one look to Inuyasha, he immediately releases his hold on me and I step out of his embrace. Making sure I am far enough away from both of them, so that they are not hurt in the process, I blast the mark on my neck with as much miko ki as I can muster and nearly fall to my knees from the pain. Hearing Sesshomaru's sharp intake of breath, I look into his eyes as the last of his mark is erased from my blood, body and soul and I give him a deadly glare. I see him run to me in desperation, trying to make me reconsider my decision to deny his suit and I immediately back away from him. Erecting a barrier that even he cannot possibly hope to break, I glare daggers in his direction and begin turning toward the well and my home in the future, when he growls in my direction and my curiosity gets the better of me. I see the heartbreak on his face and look at him in disgust. "Whatever is the matter, Lord Sesshomaru?" Seeing his flinch at my use of his formal title, he locks his pleading eyes into mine, "What are you doing Kagome? Why have you removed my mark?"

Looking toward him with utter disbelief and surprise on my face, I give him a look that says he has just grown three heads and they are all different colors. When he sees my look of disbelief, he persists. "What is the matter? Why have you severed our bond before it could finalize? Do you realize what you have done?" Giving him a look of disdain; I glare menacingly at him once more before answering his ridiculous questions. "Of course I know what I have just done. Do you think me so weak that I cannot simply remove your mark when it no longer suits me? How could you search my mind to see if I am planning on being unfaithful, with your brother no less, and then sit there and ask me why I have removed your claim? How could you have so little trust in me? I told you once before that I would never betray you and yet the first male we come across, you automatically assume I will spread my legs for him. I cannot possibly be a mate of yours if you have so little faith in me. I relinquish my claim on you, Lord of the Western Lands, go and find someone else to be your Lady, for I refuse to stay with someone that has so little faith in my person."

Seeing the look of sadness and pain that passes on his face, I almost regret my actions, but I cannot possibly be with someone that doesn't trust me. I gave him my innocence and he just throws it away. How could he have such little faith in me? Didn't he tell me that he loved me for being faithful and honest, loyal and brave? I can feel my heart breaking as I think these things because I truly love this man before me, but I refuse to be with him if he doesn't trust me enough to be in the presence of another man, without trying to mount said man. I will not tolerate being held in such little light or regard for my feelings. Turning abruptly so that I can continue the search for the jewel shards by myself, I am embraced from behind and I feel my breath hitch in my throat. The hard body behind me is none other than Sesshomaru, I would know that body anywhere, and I cannot deny that I still feel massive amounts of attraction to him, but I refuse to be hurt again. I have been hurt far too much in my life and I will not knowingly put myself into a position to be hurt once again. I begin to struggle in his embrace and at once, I feel my miko ki starting to rise. Knowing that Sesshomaru will not let go of me because he is much too stubborn to back down, I desperately try to call off my ki so that he isn't purified and to my utter horror, it will not back down. Feeling his skin begin to sizzle, I roughly pull out of his embrace and whirl around just in time to catch him, as he loses consciousness from the amount of jaki I have just destroyed. Moving slightly, I move him to the ground and look to Inuyasha. The look of utter shock and horror he has on his face will forever be ingrained in my memory, but for now, I must push my feelings aside and take care of Sesshomaru. There are deep gaping wounds all over his front that desperately need my attention. If I leave them to heal on their own, he could die. The amount of jyaki he just lost is massive and if I don't treat these wounds immediately, if he doesn't die, he will be severely scarred for the rest of his life. Yelling Inuyasha's name to get his attention, he looks to me and I immediately tell him to gather my first aid kit and start a fire. Once that is done I ask him to put a pot on the fire and fill it with water so that it can boil. Laying Sesshomaru on my sleeping bag, I hear him moan lightly in pain and then he once again falls silent.

Minutes pass slowly as I start to remove his clothing so that I can clean his wounds and then suddenly, I feel an unfamiliar presence behind me. My powers have grown substantially in the six years I have been here and there is no possible way I should have been caught unaware and yet here I am, with absolutely no clue as to whom is breathing heavily at my back. Within moments, I feel an arm wrap around my waist and pull me flush against their body. A feeling of dejavu comes over me and I feel my powers again start to grow. I know this is a demon, but I have no way on knowing if this is a friend or foe. Because it has not said anything yet, I can only assume it is an enemy and I begin to purify it within moments. Hearing the sharp intake of breath from my assailant, I am dropped unceremoniously on my ass when a deep, weathered voice rings shrilly in my ears. "How dare you wench? Do you know who I am? I will slice you to pieces and you will be begging for death long before I am done with you." Hearing a feral growl rise in the air, I hold my breath as I feel the presence behind me go crashing to the ground as Inuyasha tackles him. Thank the Kami that he just came back with that pot full of water from the stream. I don't think I had enough power to knock out this demon because I used a lot of my energy on Sesshomaru. Turning to face my attacker and Inuyasha in the middle of their brawl, I am shocked to find someone I never thought I would see again after our last encounter.

Alright everyone, that is going to do it for this chapter. I know that it is shorter than my normal chapters, but my muse and I are battling for dominance at the moment and at this point in time, she has the upper hand. Do not worry though, come next installment, I will have won the battle. Take care until then and please review so I know how I am doing with this story.


	5. Chapter 5

Hi all. I know that this is short notice considering the length of time I usually take to post a chapter, but I had a bout of inspiration and my muse was exceptionally helpful this chapter, therefore; you received it in a much quicker fashion. Unfortunately, I cannot promise this quick posting again, I am just at a great time at the moment to be able to write without interruption. And now on to the boring stuff….Let's see….ah yes….all the usual disclaimers apply. I do NOT own Inuyasha or any character or subsidiaries within. I am but a poor humble fan that has a vast imagination and a computer. And now without further ado, I present to you the newest addition to our collection.

Soul Consumption

Chapter 5

Devil's Prey

In hindsight, I realize that removing the claim from my person was a bit rash in my anger, but no matter the regret I hold for doing it, nothing can change the fact that I did. Of course, regardless of my actions, I never thought, for even a moment, that my powers would attack him without my consent. I have never before felt more powerless than in that very moment when I could smell his burning flesh. I did not understand what could have happened to make it attack. There was absolutely no reason for it and even as I think these things, I know that somewhere in my shamed soul, there was a small part of me that wanted to hurt him, for hurting me. Still, that part of me was considerably smaller than the rest and should not have been able to hold sway over my powers enough to have caused that much damage or any damage for that matter. Glancing over to Sesshomaru laying helpless on my sleeping bag, I feel an enormous wave of guilt wash over me for all the pain I have caused. I am a miko and as such I am bound to heal the sick and help the wounded, not hurt and maim, regardless of species. Miko's and other holy people in this era might be set on destroying any and all youkai they encounter, but that wasn't my way. No creature deserved to be hunted to extinction for no reason other than that they were different or perceived evil.

Just because one is different than you, doesn't mean they are evil. Take Jinengi for a perfect example. He is a half demon and as such, these priests and miko's are saying that because he is part youkai, he must be evil. There is simply no in between with these holy hunters. Jinengi is nothing like anything evil we had ever come up against. He was kind and passionate about herbs, a loving son and he had never even thought to hurt another living creature, though the villagers had beat him terribly, on more than one occasion. He had a frightening face yes, but was graced with a heart of gold. The villagers said he was killing people under the cover of darkness and they attacked him simply because he was part youkai, regardless of whether there was any evidence against him or not. If it hadn't been for Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo and I, he would surely have been killed that very day. Luckily, we had heard about a terrible demon that plagued a town not far from where we were, killing innocents and eating them or something along those lines and so naturally, we had gone to investigate because it could be a lead on a demon with a jewel shard. Of course, what we found was nothing but the petty cruelness of the villagers that assumed it was Jinengi that had taken their missing friends. It was only later in the day when we found the true culprit and made him pay for his crimes, while also teaching the cruel villagers that beauty is only skin deep and that although Jinengi was far from anything that resembled beauty, he was also kind hearted and very gifted when it came to herbs, that the villagers showed any signs of remorse for what they had done to him.

There are some things that can never be expressed in words and others that could never be expressed other than with a simple gesture, a nod of the head, or a flick of the wrist. Regardless, the actions of others and those of my own are never to be ill advised and never to be taken lightly. I didn't make the decision to end our mating by myself. Someone or something was pushing me ever so quietly, using a voice that I could not consciously hear, a voice that went straight to my heart and soul and was ever so slightly trying to dampen the purity there. My thoughts and emotions are my own and yet the feelings are much more intense, making me nearly burn with the intensity of them. Oh Kami! There is something out there, trying to control my emotions and in essence, control me as well. If they can make such a small part of me want to hurt my beloved and then make those feelings soo strong that I can do nothing, but watch as his skin is melted with the strength of my power, I don't know how long I will be able to resist them. There is only so much I am going to be able to do, before they realize that I am on to them and they abruptly change my emotions, so that I once again attack my family and friends. I must act quickly!

Turning abruptly back toward where Inuyasha is fighting with the bird youkai we had met nearly six months ago, I take my chance while he is occupied and approach my beloved. I can see his skin healing right before my eyes and I feel my heart lurch into my throat when I feel his eyes on me. Sweeping his figure with my eyes, I see that the burns, although deep, are healing remarkably well. It seems that even when I try to kill him, I don't succeed. I believe this is the first time I have ever been happy to have failed in something I did. Creeping over to his side, I hear his growl of displeasure and warning at my presence and my audacity to come back and I immediately bare my neck in submission. I need to get close enough so that I can heal him and whisper what is happening. If I am controlled again, he needs to stop me. My life is forfeit and he needs to realize that I love him and would never hurt him willingly. Crawling toward him on my hands and knees, nearly dragging my body across the ground, with my head down below his the entire time, I finally come upon him. Looking upon his face, I see the distrust in his eyes and again I feel the anguish and guilt wash over me. With regret and pain in my eyes, I place my hand on his chest, ignoring his growls of warning and feel my healing abilities become one with my mind. I concentrate on healing him and almost immediately, he is.

I feel a tear drop from my eye before I can catch it and I look to his face once again. The pain and distrust is gone, replaced with caution and wariness, but underneath it all, I see the hurt. The hurt for the betrayal of his heart and the pain he is feeling now, but there is nothing I can do, save for this one warning. Leaning as close to his ear as he will let me, which isn't as close as I would like, I quietly begin to whisper my fears to him. "Love, please do not forsake the world to find me when I leave here with that bird youkai. I know you do not understand now and I also know that you are in pain because of what I did. Please know that I did not remove your claim and try to purify you on my own. There is someone out there that has invaded me at the most intimate level. I can feel them even now, desperately trying to control what is coming out of my mouth. Please, listen to what I say. When they have control of me, they will control not only my power, but that of the Shikon no Tama, especially if Naraku is the one responsible for this 'possession'. There will be hell to pay for anyone who tries to come up against me. I beg of you, do not hesitate to kill me again. It could mean your life, the life of Inuyasha and everyone we hold dear. I love you Sesshomaru more than anything I have ever thought precious, please remember that you are the keeper of my heart and soul and I would never willingly hurt you or anyone I love." Breathing hard, I begin to struggle against the evil that is creeping through me, sullying my body slowly, before moving onto my soul.

"I only have a few seconds left before they take complete control of me, please hear what I have said and do not mistake me for a friend again. I would love to go home with you and fight any demoness that didn't approve of our mating, but I fear I will never get the chance. Because of this, I release you from any responsibility you think you might have to me and this goes for Inuyasha as well, although I fear he will come after me anyway. Know this, if we meet again, it will mean death for one of us. I am sure that they will have complete control of my body, heart and soul by then and I would forever have to live with killing those most precious to me if you came. I beg of you, I will already be living with whatever they will inevitably make me do, please do not add yourselves to the atrocities on the list." Suddenly, I have to shake my head to be able to think and then I realize that they are making it impossible for me to say anymore. If I cannot think of anything to say, I cannot say anything that will be understandable.

I see Sesshomaru begin to stand over me and I look up at him with anguish in my expression. Desperately trying to get him to understand that he needs to stay away from me, I start to back away from him, but then those evil hands wrap themselves around my body and I can no longer resist them. All I have left are my heart and my soul, which are already starting to feel the taint from this evil within me. This is the purest form of evil I have ever felt. _By the Kami, could it be Naraku? Could he be doing this to me?_ Shock registers in my whole body and I search out Sesshomaru's eyes immediately, hoping that he can read the thoughts swarming in my head through my over suggestive eyes. Seeing him narrow his eyes at me, I immediately begin to cower. He no longer looks at me with love and adoration or even devilish playfulness, but with contempt and I can feel my pure heart start to break.

_By the Gods, he doesn't believe me!_

I can see by the look in his eyes that he doesn't give one ounce of merit to my story. He honestly believes that I would betray him so completely over something as petty as a glance at my inner thoughts? This normally, totally refined and perfectly calculating youkai lord, thought me a liar? Standing tall before him, I could once again feel the evil spreading through me as though it travelled through my very veins. With as much contempt as I could muster through my eyes and as much of my face that I still had some semblance of control over, I glared fiercely at him and was about the say something along the lines of 'Why you no good, arrogant dog!' or something to that effect, when I felt his jyaki start to rise and I immediately take a step back from the face of it. Seeing him affectively powering up to attack me, was one of the most frightening experiences of my life. Even facing off with Naraku was far less intimidating to me than facing my beloved in a fight to the death and I couldn't help the shudder that passed through me when he began to remove Tokijin from its' sheath at his side. The massive amounts of fear I felt in that moment, shocked me to the core because it was then that I realized, whatever had taken control of my body, was also deathly afraid of Sesshomaru.

Seeing an opportunity to kill whatever is inside me, or at least the tie that somehow managed to allow him entry into my body and soul, I start calling upon my miko ki, feeling it begin to bubble under the surface, a direct call to arms to the youkai in front of me, and I face him in a fierce battle stance. Seeing the way I have come before him, he immediately raises Tokijin in front of him in his own battle stance and readies whatever attack I send his way. Apparently, he assumes I will be an easy kill. Wow! That sure made my self esteem and self worth drop to almost non existent levels. The mate of my heart does not believe in me or my abilities. So, I am worthy of his bed, but not of his respect as a miko in power or ability as a fighter? By the Kami, why did he even decide to mate me if I was such a lowly creature that I merit no respect at all? Dear Kami, I am never going to give him a second glance when this is over with. I was probably his idea of a sick joke. Maybe he had planned to watch me die by the hand of one of those snobby demonesses after his title and wealth, once we were at his palace.

Feeling my anger flare at the insult to my pride and to my heart, my miko energy echoes within my blood and immediately comes to my hands. Forming myself a very powerful shield and sword, naturally made of my ki, I advance on him with as much force as I can, without endangering my life by depleting too much energy, though I am far from that. Debating on whether to attack him outright with my sword and shield or try out some of my energy tricks, the answer is made for me, when he gracefully lunges toward my person at inhuman speeds. I should not be able to see him, let alone block one of his skillful lunges, but somehow my miko abilities have grown to be much stronger than I ever imagined and so I find myself nose to nose with the Western Lord and the grimace on his face matches my own. He thinks so little of me that he honestly believed I would be finished in one blow. How could I not have seen this before? How could I have given myself to this man, given him my virginity and pledged to be only his for the rest of our long lives together and not seen the way he really, truly saw me? How is this even possible?

I can see the utter shock and amazement in his eyes. He thought he would be wiping the blood off his sword at this moment and not feeling like his skin was trying to rip off the bone with the power of my ki. Good. Maybe now he will see that I am someone to be reckoned with. I refuse to allow myself to be seen as just another shard detector. I am Kagome Higurashi, reincarnation of Midoriko; I come from a powerful line of priestesses that will not be so easily defeated and I refuse to be taken advantage of! I refuse to be so weak as to let someone evil into my body and control me. NO MORE! I feel my miko energy surround my body and make a powerful barrier, none save I can break through and then I am thrust into my inner sanctum. My very soul is changing because of these thieves who think to steal my power and destroy my innocence. I am waging an internal battle for my purity and I feel the strain on my body. They are trying to take down my shield, with my own powers, but I will not be deterred. They will not be able to release that barrier unless I am dead. I continue my search, passing through my body and heart, not finding the evil that is trying to possess me. Everything I touch is purified and though there is still a strain on my body, it is much less than before. The evil was slowly killing me and I didn't even know it. Dear Kami, help me defeat the evil that has taken over my body! Please help me in this struggle for dominance in my very soul!

Coming to my soul, I find the dark part that was once so very small, it could hardly be seen, has grown much larger than I ever thought possible. No wonder that small part of my subconscious was able to take control of me long enough to make Sesshomaru think about just how powerful I truly was; she had a large portion of my powerful soul to back her up. She had only needed one moment to perfectly time her take over and then one more to act on it. In that one moment, she had taken over and done so much damage, I had to stand back and really look. There was no way I would ever have imagined I concealed that much power within myself. Truly, my power was vastly untapped if I could do that much damage to a powerful Taiyoukai and not even break a sweat or feel even a remote strain on my body or my spiritual power. Of course, Midoriko had told me that I had a massive amount of power that I had yet to tap into, but that when the time was right, it would come to my aide.

Regarding this evil taint with a lethal eye, I determine that if I use one hard hit of my ki in a direct assault on the damaged area, I should have enough power to negate the evil surrounding me and controlling my body. Hoping that I don't use too much power in ridding myself of this taint that my barrier falls prematurely, I set to work at gathering my ki for a massive attack. Whatever is connected to the strands of evil that have wound themselves around my body is going to feel this surge and if they have any self preservation, will immediately release their hold or suffer an extremely painful demise. The only good thing I can see coming out of this if they don't release their hold immediately is that I might get some insight as to who this evil is and what their motives are. If I can attach my energy to one of the tendrils leaving me before they are completely relieved of my body, I might be able to follow them all the way back to the source and then I might be able to discover what it is they want or had originally planned.

Meditating for a few seconds, I desperately try and calm my anxious nerves and settle myself into a relative calm, for I know this is going to depend on precise movements and energy releases. If I even move wrong once, this could all be for naught and though they would never be able to attach themselves to my person or my heart and soul again, I would sit much easier knowing why they tried to control me in the first place, though I have quite a few morbid ideas already. Feeling myself centered and in control, I gather my energy into one massive attack at my fingertips and release it with almost perfect precision. I immediately feel the purifying effects on my soul and the strain on my body lessens almost completely. Closing my eyes, I see the black tendrils unwinding themselves from my soul and in a desperate hurry to leave. Grasping one tendril within my spiritual hands, I let it lead me to where it is being pulled and feel my spirit leave my body in my attempt to catch whoever is behind this. With one glance behind me, I see that Sesshomaru is standing beside my body, as if keeping watch against anything that would hurt it. That is an interesting development. Looking to his side, I notice that Inuyasha is gripping the bird youkai by the throat and has a large gash across his chest, no doubt from the razor sharp feather attack from the bird youkai in his grasp. The bird itself looks worse for wear, but upon closer inspection, I see that his gaze is following me, perfectly. It is as if he can see my soul leaving… _Kami…could it be that he was sent to make sure I made this exact journey? Could I be falling into a trap? Could this all have been one big ploy to lure me out of my body so that it was left vulnerable? What should I do? If even one minute amount of that evil still inhabits my body while I am gone, it will take over me and destroy all those I care deeply about…..what do I do?_

My decision is made for me in a matter of moments when I see my body begin to move without my soul intact. Immediately releasing my hold on the evil essence that once inhabited me, I feel a strong call to my soul as my body urges it to come home. In a rush and almost dizzying effect, I come back into myself and feel the immediate weight of flesh surrounding my essence. The way my soul had felt unaccompanied by the burden of flesh, the undeniable freedom experienced is something I could never possibly hope to describe; but there was also an unencumbered feeling of coming home after a long journey that also couldn't express the true experience with anything close to an accurate account, that made the entire journey a truly wondrous thing.

Feeling my eyes begin to flutter, I opened them with a sense of foreboding and awareness normally absent from my body. To my right, Sesshomaru is standing perfectly still, as if on watch while trying to protect something precious to him. _Kami, could he be hoping to protect me? No! I refuse to think like that…dammit…after all he did to me, there is no way in HELL I am going to let him off the hook so damned easily!_ I see him tense minutely as if feeling my soul return to my body and then step to my side, directly beside me, as if trying to convey something my delirious mind simply cannot grasp. Resolutely determined not to think on his deliberate actions for the moment due to the ever growing migraine in my head, I turn toward his ever present brother and see that his grasp on the bird youkai has not diminished. Of course Sasuke and I know that he was also working for Naraku, or at least doing some of his dirty work at one time, but for the life of me, I simply cannot recall his reasoning other than his lady love, but I distinctly remember that there was something else that bothered me about him.

Flashback

It was something along similar lines of when Naraku offered Sesshomaru the human arm with the Shikon jewel shard, knowing it would eventually rot off and damage him in the process. Sasuke had not lost a limb, but was losing something very valuable to him. He was a very powerful youkai to begin with and had no need of the Shikon shards, but he happened to come across Naraku on his travels to find a powerful miko so that he may save the love of his life from her demise. Unfortunately because he was a youkai, all of the miko's he encountered refused to aide him in saving his beloved, regardless of the fact that his beloved was a human princess. Having travelled half the world over, desperate to find a kind hearted person with any amount of holy energy to make his love's pain go away, he came to realize moments after crossing his path that Naraku knew all about him and his troubles. It was then that the deal had been struck. Naraku would give him a Shikon shard and with it, Sasuke could heal his lady love. The only catch was simply that if he were to come across a miko that traveled with a fox kit, a demon slayer with a fire neko, a priest with a cursed void in his hand and an inu hanyou named Inuyasha that he was to eliminate them by any means necessary. Naraku had apparently said the miko was a dark priestess that would curse his whole family line and kill his only love if ever they were to meet and that she was not to be trifled with because of her tremendous power.

Sasuke had immediately grown suspicious of Naraku and his intentions, but the threat of losing his precious lady eventually made up his mind for him. Taking the jewel shard from Naraku, he bid him a good day and left in a flash of light to bring his lady love her saving grace from the immense pain she was in. It had originally been the threat of an extremely dangerous demon that had caused our pack to arrive in Sasuke's woman's village, however; it had been the threat of Sasuke himself that had been the reason for our visit. Apparently, the townspeople had been afraid of Sasuke courting the princess and immediately began to spread rumors to their surrounding towns, hoping that someone with holy powers would come to their aide and rid them of the demon poisoning the mind of their princess. Of course, it wasn't until we had fought with Sasuke and nearly died, that our group discovered the reason for the fighting in the first place. During one of Sasuke's more powerful attacks, I had to use a massive amount of my miko ki to not only deter his attack back to him, but also to relieve him of his remaining jaki, without which he would no longer have enough energy to attack. Of course, because I had not been trained, I had no idea how I managed this, but regardless of my lack of training, my ki was triggered and let loose upon him mere moments before his attack would have hit. I still remember heaving a huge sigh of relief after seeing that I had not only nullified his attack, but his remaining power as well.

Sasuke had immediately fallen back and been overcome with so much heartache and grief, I could not help going to him in his time of need. The expression on his face was devastating and I knew I could not stand idly by and watch someone suffer needlessly, regardless of species. Of course, Inuyasha had desperately tried to drag me away from him, but I merely uttered 'sit' and he plummeted to the earth as I went to Sasuke. He had this look of utter alarm and fear in his eyes when I approached, I had to slow down in fear I had done something to hurt him without my knowledge. Arriving at his side, I touched his shoulder in a gentle way of trying to comfort him and he immediately shied away from my touch. Pulling back as if I had been burned, I looked to him with many questions floating in my eyes. His gaze was locked so intently onto mine when I looked into his eyes, I could not look away and I could almost feel him probing my inner thoughts and feelings before delving as deeply as he could, to the very depths of my soul, before I even had the chance to blink.

End Flashback

This was the first time I ever transported my corporeal body into my inner sanctum and learned not only to center my self and meditate, but also to form my inner barriers and sustain my miko ki for as long as possible without fear of draining my energy completely. It was here, in the deepest part of my soul, my inner sanctum, where I could practice my skills without fear of interference.

Sasuke was actually the one to teach me how to use some very powerful spells, specifically for transportation, so as to travel a great distance within moments; separation, so as to separate my soul from my body without endangering my life and one more powerful spell that he told me only to use in the most dire of circumstances. In truth, I know not if I ever mastered it; I simply don't believe I had enough time to train with him for it to ever be fully effective, but I know without a doubt that if ever there comes a time when I have no options left, I will not hesitate to use it. It was a massive attack that would take many minutes of complete concentration before it would be powerful enough to be released, but the end result would be well worth it.

Unbeknownst to us, our bodies begin to glow a slight blue and attach hands simultaneously. The glow begins to get brighter the longer we are connected and the spiritual power in the air begins to crackle with power. Miroku senses this immediate change and though they know the reiki will purify on contact, they stay routed to the spot, hoping against hope that the power will dwindle and Sasuke will release Kagome from whatever trance he has put her under, while trying to protect Sango, Shippo, Kirara and Inuyasha as best he can with a barrier.

It was within this inner sanctum with Sasuke, that I would learn to harness my growing power and I would meet someone from my distant past, or rather, my uncertain future, who would teach me the ways of the Miko, while also showing me how to harness the power of the Shikon no Tama, regardless of who held it within their possession. Of course, I am getting sidetracked from my original point.

Flashback

Sasuke had taken me into my inner sanctum to see the purity of my soul and to prove to himself that I was not a dark miko and that Naraku had lied to him. He had immediately looked at his surroundings and a new light had entered his eyes before he turned to me and kneeled in my presence. I was so astonished; I stepped back and gasped at his actions. This was a very powerful youkai, not as powerful as Sesshomaru, but still extremely powerful in his own right. I could feel his jaki licking my skin and to have him bow to me, a simple untrained useless shard detector, was not acceptable. I bent to his level and shook my head slightly before speaking gently and not wanting to alarm him with my close proximity, I made sure to keep my anxiety in check so that my ki wouldn't spike to try and calm me. I had no idea how to get out of where I was, at the time I didn't know it was called my inner sanctum and so I was desperately in need of some information, which I would not get if he didn't trust me. So I said that my name was Kagome and that I was wondering why he had brought me here and then asked if he could possibly explain his intentions. He gave me a really skeptical look and then appeared thoughtful for a few moments before he finally decided to speak. It was then I learned of his relationship with Naraku and what he had been told about us. Seeing that he knew I was not a dark miko, I then asked him why he had originally been seeking out a miko or priest because he had not been extremely forthcoming with any details. After I learned of his princess, I immediately grew concerned when he told me what Naraku had told him to give her to get well.

Telling him that we needed to leave this place immediately and return to his lady love right away, he looked at me with a deep concern on his face before telling me that I was the only one who could release us from this place. Upon seeing the horror on my face, he had grown concerned and asked if I was truly a miko. Of course, that is when I fill him in on my slight problem with harnessing the power flowing within my veins and I see a dawning of understanding light his features before he motions for me to sit beside him in a meditating position. We sat together for a few minutes until I couldn't help fidgeting under his scrutinizing gaze. When he still showed no signs of speaking or movement, I could feel my anger feeding the power I knew lived in my blood and I started glowing brightly almost instantly. I was so shocked at the reaction; I looked to him for answers and saw his gaze intently on mine. Not understanding what was happening, I saw him rise from his position to grasp hold of my shoulders. He started to speak so low and in such a soft tone that I had to strain with all my might just to be able to hear what it was he needed to tell me. He was trying to teach me how to harness the power in my soul and I was having a hard time trying to grasp the concept. He kept telling me to trust in my feelings and to control the power, not let it control me. I kept shaking my head, trying to explain without words that I didn't know how to do that and that there was so much power; I could feel it trying to consume my very soul.

(Memory within the Flashback)

(AN-Kagome is remembering something that she felt while she was in her inner sanctum with Sasuke for the first time, so in essence, this is a flashback within a flashback. If you are confused, please don't hesitate to email me and ask questions….)

I finally understood then, what it was I had felt the first time I saw Sesshomaru. Truly, the only way I could begin to describe the feeling was being overwhelmed in the essence of his very being. I could never fully understand what had overcome me when I saw his ethereal beauty for the first time. It was like I was drowning in his unrestrained jaki and then suddenly, my power had come to the forefront and his energy had depleted greatly; though I don't think anyone noticed this little display of power, except for Sesshomaru and I. It was at that very moment when he finally locked his gaze onto my own that I felt the recognition in my very soul. It was such a soul shaking revelation; I nearly fainted from the power of the emotions that surged through my blood. Of course, I did no such thing, rather; I strung my bow and knocked an arrow, determined to tell this delicious creature, that though I was a human woman, my power was not to be taken lightly and that if he continued to try and maim Inuyasha, I would not hesitate to strike.

When his obvious dismissal of my person was so rudely made known, I immediately felt my anger flare and my ki bubbled to the surface with such a surge of power, I nearly lost my breath at the sensation. Again, he turned as if to ascertain my purpose and with another clear dismissal with the flick of his hair over his shoulder, he once again turned toward Inuyasha on that monstrous Oni of his. Not being able to contain my obvious fury at being so readily ignored, I let my arrow fly with more power than I had ever put into a single arrow. I watched it narrowly miss him and could not help the gleam of satisfaction in my eyes as I saw some of his silky silver hair float away on the breeze.

Immediately, his eyes returned to my person and I felt a chill run the length of my spine as he readied an attack. Thinking quickly, I dodged whatever was headed my way without so much as a millimeter between it and my body and once the coast was clear, I regained my footing to look upon his deadly form once again. He was staring at me intently, so intently in fact, I found it terribly hard to breathe. I could feel my pulse flutter within my breast and I abruptly latched onto the tree beside me so that I wouldn't lose my footing. Shaking my head to clear it, I noticed that Inuyasha was once again fighting the Oni, while Sesshomaru's gaze was still intently on me. A shiver ran the length of my body almost immediately and instead of once again succumbing to the turmoil I could feel swirling in my very being, I again knocked an arrow and readied my aim. Seeing the heated look in his eyes upon gazing the fiery determination within my bright blue orbs, I refused to allow anymore of his presence to deter me and let my arrow fly with perfect aim. I could only watch, helplessly, as he merely plucked the arrow from the air moments before hitting his person. Complete shock and surprise coursed through my system as I saw him fight his very beast from taking control when my power refused to be diminished.

Again, I felt the energy rushing through my blood and knowing that he could kill Inuyasha or myself without a moment's hesitation, I let the sparkle of determination burn brightly in my stormy orbs, while I began to draw more of my power to the surface. I felt his jyaki rise to nearly painful levels in response and couldn't help the pained gasp that left my lips before feeling my reiki come to my aid. Before, his energy felt like it was smothering my very existence, now it was more like a sensual caress, however; there were only so many outcomes to this eventual meeting and with the flick of his wrist, he apparently wanted to end my existence in a flurry of acidic poison. Of course, it was then that Inuyasha saw what was transpiring under his notice and immediately came to my rescue, although his help wasn't needed in the slightest. In retrospect, if Sesshomaru had any intention of ending my life, I guarantee that I would not be alive today.

End Memory

Coming back to reality after that flash from my memory, I realize that somehow, I suppressed my miko abilities during that flashback and can only surmise how it came about, until I look back at my companion in confusion. His look of utter calm is enough to release me from my stupor and I immediately relax. Once I have found my center and I feel the constant thrum of my power, quietly flowing through my veins until such a time as I need to call on them again, I suddenly become aware of a constant sound in the background of my mind. It is so very faint, I nearly missed its' presence entirely, but it immediately begins to get louder, as if it knows I have detected it.

Thump…

The sound I hear makes me almost shudder in response….

THump….

I can hear it getting louder, almost as if it is coming towards us….

THUmp….

The way it makes my whole body pulse in time with it, is making my anxiety sky rocket..

THUMp….

It is almost deafening now and its' close proximity is causing my very being to shake…..

THUMP….

Looking toward Sasuke, I see that he hasn't so much as ruffled a feather in response to the commanding presence I feel drawing near. Not knowing what to expect, I call upon the power flowing through my veins and am shocked when nothing happens. Glancing around wildly, I try to calm my racing heart and still the chaos whirling in my mind, however; it continues to plague my thoughts.

THUMP…..

Concentration is inconceivable as I desperately try to regain some semblance of control. I feel my mind slipping away and then suddenly, I see an anchor in front of me. Not an anchor in the literal sense, at least not from a boat, but an anchor nonetheless. It was simply a tether, holding steadfastly to whatever it was that kept it in place. Regardless, I could not see what held it and there was no way for me to use my reiki to feel my way anywhere else and even as I tried to discern another route for me to take, I could feel my vision beginning to fade. Unable to determine whether my fainting would inexorably damage my visitor, I fight determinedly against the darkness and push it down with one heavy thrust while lunging toward the tether that hopefully leads to our salvation.

THUMP…..

In hindsight, perhaps I should have thought about an alternate route of escape.

THUMP…..THUMP…..

The vision in my mind begins to clear and after blinking a few times to clear the fog from my mind, I am shocked back to reality when I see Sasuke on the glowing pink floor of my inner sanctum, covered in blood. Screaming in fright, I immediately run to his side and feel the tears begin to course down my face. An overwhelming sensation of anger, sadness, regret and something else I cannot name flows through my veins and surrounds my body in an almost suffocating cocoon of feeling and emotion. Resting Sasuke's head in my lap, I once again try to call upon the power within my blood. Feeling nothing but an empty void where the purity of my reiki used to dwell, another wave of despair, sadness and anger nearly suffocate my being and I cry out from the loss. Not knowing what else to do, I can only sit with his head in my lap and pray that a higher power will take pity on the creature before me that is dangerously close to crossing over to the next life. I glance toward his many wounds and nearly lose my breath when I realize that not only are they not healing with the power of his demon blood, but that the wounds consist of holy energy burns, bloody holes from what looked to be purifying arrows and what looked to be a massive attack to his middle with the miko energy consistent of Kikyo and myself.

THUMP…..THUMP……

Gasping at the sound that appeared directly behind us, my body nearly seized in terror, until I could finally control my reaction to the obvious threat that was mere inches away; my heart thundered in my chest and my panting breaths nearly caused unconsciousness, but a sudden surge of protectiveness caused me to fight the darkness that was pressing down on me.

After a few moments, I felt my body come under control and I wearily turned to face whatever danger lay ahead. Regardless, I would do whatever I could within my power to make sure that Sasuke and I survived.

A strong sense of foreboding and awareness overcame me as I gazed at the person who was no doubt the cause of all the troubles we had been experiencing so far.

By the Kami, how could I possibly stand against this powerful foe without weapons of any kind?

The creature standing before me, gazing at me with soulless eyes, nearly made my heart freeze within my breast and for the first time, I truly know terror.

Alright everyone, I hate to leave you with a cliffy here, but I have no choice. I am determined to stop here because I am exhausted and it is well after three in the morning. I hope you enjoyed this new installment of Soul Consumption and I promise that in the next chapter, there will be some citrus, if you catch my drift. I look forward to writing the next chapter and if anyone has any ideas about where they think this story should go, I would love to hear from you. Remember, constructive criticism is always welcome and even flames are sometimes warranted. Regardless, I look forward to hearing from my fabulous fans and hope that I get some delicious reviews to satiate my curiosity and hopefully, let me know that I am not writing this just for me.

Thanks again for reading and I will see you all next time.


	6. Chapter 6

Hi all. Welcome to the new installment of Soul Consumption and thank you all for joining me on this interesting adventure. I hope that the last chapter wasn't too disappointing, but from the reviews, I can only surmise that I did not live up to expectations. There were over 500 hits on the 5th chapter of Soul Consumption the first day I posted it and out of all those readers, I only received five reviews and all of them were from the same kind reader, Metis. I would like to personally thank her for the gracious responses to my story. Her kind words gave me hope that at least one person out there is still enjoying my work, enough to let me know anyway. Thanks again for your thoughts and now without further ado; the newest chapter of Soul Consumption is ready for your viewing pleasure.

Soul Consumption

Chapter 6

Passionate Embraces and Discovering Intent

Last time

Kagome P.O.V.

By the Kami, how could I possibly stand against this powerful foe without weapons of any kind?

The creature standing before me, gazing at me with soulless eyes, nearly made my heart freeze within my breast and for the first time, I truly know terror.

Standing before me was the last thing I ever thought I would see. Long black hair fell in waves down her back and she wore the miko garb of a priestess. Her face and features were all identical to mine, except for the black of her eyes. There was no soul housed within this empty shell before me. I gently laid Sasuke's head on the floor and rose to meet this hallow version of myself. Faintly feeling the aura of the woman in front of me, I find to my dismay that this copy is indeed endowed with holy ki and I faintly wonder if the key to returning my powers lay within this fraud before me.

Seeing the copy take a step toward me, I immediately ready my battle stance and begin to mentally prepare for anything this double might decide to try. I realize momentarily, that if this is truly my double, in every sense of the word, then she will also undoubtedly have all of my limitations and faults as well. Knowing this, I use a different approach as I see her take another step toward me. When she is only about a foot away, she opens her mouth to speak and I nearly cringe when her voice sounds much like I imagine mine would be if I was possessed or being controlled by evil.

"I see priestess, that you still have much to learn before you are ready to fully receive the birthright that is your destiny."

The words she spoke would not normally invoke anger into my being, but the mocking way she said my title and the sneer on her lips at the end told me that she was more than just disgusted with me. Not knowing exactly how to react to her condescending tone, I merely shrug at her words.

"If you cannot see, simply by gazing into their heart to measure a persons' true worth, as is one of my many abilities, then you are not the true twin of my blood. There are many things I have yet to learn, but that does not stop me from trying to better myself, regardless. I do not pretend to know all, I simply do the best I can with what I am able to discern from my own experiences. Your evident disgust with my person has no relevance to what struggles lay before me and regardless of your opinion; I will do whatever is within my power to protect those who are not able to protect themselves. That is all I can do, nothing more and nothing less."

Apparently, whatever I said to this imposter proved to be the right answer, for no sooner had the words left my lips, than I could suddenly feel some of the power flowing through my veins once more. Mind you, it is merely a small bubble of power to fill the void within, but at this moment in time, I will take anything she is willing to return to me so that I am no longer defenseless. Feeling even this minute amount of power within me automatically bolsters my anger toward this double for what she must have done to Sasuke. She being the only one of us with miko energy, had to have been responsible for his extensive injuries and also the suppression of his demonic jaki, so that he could not heal the damage she wrought.

Turning on the imposter with venom in my gaze, I gather what little ki I can spare and erect a powerful barrier against Sasuke, so that she can do him no more harm. She sneers wickedly in response to my actions and I immediately take up an offensive stance in front of my barrier so that what little protection I can offer, will be put to good use if she tries to attack him again. As if in challenge, she takes a step toward my position and I instinctually feel my ki come forth. She once again sneers at me and I assume it is now because of the less than stellar position I have against her. She and I both know that I am no match for her at this point, but I will be damned if I let her see me cower in fear. If I am to die here and now, I will die fighting, until my last breath, with honor to protect the ones that deserve protecting.

"You have much fire in you priestess. I can see in your heart of hearts, and what I see there frightens me. You would see the world torn asunder, just for the safety of your friends. Tell me, would you sacrifice everyone and everything for the guarantee that they would remain alive and well? Would you forsake all others for them? Honestly?"

Confused and angry at her callous words and knowing that some part of me truly would desire that outcome, I nearly lost my breath at the thought that I hadn't realized how far I would go to see to their well being. Regardless, I look her straight into her soulless black eyes and speak from my very soul.

"There is much I would do for those I love, both here in the past as well as the future, but would I let the world end or let others suffer for their sake? Truly? How could you ask me that and not know the answer already? Though I love them with every fiber of my being, I could never forsake all the innocent lives that would suffer should I make the wrong decision. I would gladly give my life to end the suffering of any innocent and though I know it would do little in the grand scheme of things, I would be happy in the knowledge that at least I had the chance to save one. But even then, I know my purpose here. I may not like that I am merely a shard detector, but I know that is just a small part of my ever growing destiny. I carried the jewel within my body, know it intimately and also have a soul connection to it. Though I can only sense when it is near, I always feel the pulse of its power within me; it is never far from my mind and though I would do anything within my power to protect the ones I love, I would never consider endangering the millions of innocent beings in the world, past or present."

Appearing to consider my words, she hesitantly takes a step back from me and then once again releases some of my ki to me. Feeling the power pool into the emptiness within my soul, I breathe a small sigh of relief when I almost feel back to normal.

Warily glancing at her form, I am shocked to see that she has a look of pain and anguish on her face. Rushing to her side, not willing to see her harmed, regardless of her status as my enemy, I catch her before she can hit the ground and look to her with true concern and compassion in my gaze. When she finally lifts her eyes to meet mine, they are no longer black, but the same deep sapphire as my own. Shocked speechless, I look at her with questions burning in my eyes and can only stare in horror when she lets out a laugh of happiness. The sound nearly scares me enough to drop her, but thankfully I gain control of my senses long enough to catch her again. Desperate to understand what is happening to her and to find out if she has lost all rational thought, I take a deep breath and try to ready myself for anything she might say before speaking.

"Are you alright?"

I am once again shocked when she laughs with so much life and love, that it is contagious and I have to stifle my own giggles. She looks to me then and I loose my breath as I see myself, my perfect mirror image staring back at me with so much happiness and love in her gaze, I can't help returning the gesture. Helping her into a sitting position so that she is no longer laying in my lap, I wait for her to say anything that will help me to understand what this whole scenario has been about. At first, she simply looks at me with something akin to reverence and respect, but that look is soon replaced with friendly adoration and I can't help feeling extremely uncomfortable under her scrutiny. Apparently, she sees my apprehension and unease and starts to tell me exactly what I want to know.

"I know that you are uneasy in my presence, especially considering the mirror image I represent to you, but this was the only way to make you face the fears you held deep within your heart, without causing you any undue damage. I assure you that Sasuke is not injured. In fact, he was merely an illusion to make you angry and also to bring out your compassionate nature. I know that you do not understand why yet, but I assure you that when I am finished with my explanation, you will know far more than you did when you arrived within this sacred place."

Nodding my head in encouragement, I hope my gesture is enough to convince her that I am listening intently. I desperately need to know anything that will help us in our fight against Naraku and if that means I need to sit in my inner sanctum and listen to an identical copy of myself, without finding it odd, then so be it. After this is all over, I will give checking myself into an insane asylum, serious thought, but until then I will pay close attention to anything she has to say and try to keep an open mind.

"Please continue."

"As you know, Naraku has nearly the completed jewel and plans to absorb it into his body as soon as it is whole. He then plans to wish himself a full demon, but what he doesn't know is that if he follows through with his plan, he will not only become a mindless demon caught in a never ending blood rage, but also that his wish will create a massive crack in the very fabric of time. If he is not stopped by any means necessary, he will be the downfall of the entire world. This one small crack will splinter out into all of the thousands of different timelines and possible futures. There is no telling how substantial the damage will be and it could very well destroy the universe and beyond. I was sent to you by the Powers that be to train you in controlling your power. If you go into the final battle without control, Naraku will win and you will die, along with everyone else. Take heed my warning. If you do not find a way to kill him, then all hope is lost. The jewel is a powerful asset to the wielder and brings its master near invincibility."

She paused in her story to look at me with an indiscernible expression on her face and I could only stare back at her, trying to take all the information in and not panic at the same time. Taking a hesitant, but necessary calming breath, I once again nod at her to signal my readiness for her to continue and she begins to speak.

"I know that my presence is unsettling and that you want to know why I am here to begin with, so I should probably start at the beginning. I am your mirror image, your twin in every sense of the word, but my true form is someone that you might find hard to believe, so I chose this form to appear in so as not to frighten you, although I don't think it worked as I would have hoped. The black eyes could also have been a problem, sorry about that, but I needed to test you before I returned your powers. As you have been told, you are the reincarnation of Kikyo and she is the direct descendent of Midoriko, the legendary warrior priestess of nearly limitless power, so the stories go, anyway, unfortunately that is not accurate. What I need to tell you now is simply, that YOU are the direct descendent of Midoriko, not Kikyo, furthermore; the power that you possess surpasses even the nearly limitless power of Midoriko herself. If it had been you in that final battle, instead of Midoriko, the Jewel of Four Souls would never have been created and we would not be in this position. Unfortunately, we cannot change the past and there is nothing that can be done about what has already taken place, so it has come to you to make right what should never have happened. I have come to train you in the use of your power so that when you face Naraku in the final battle, the mistakes of the past will not be repeated."

Not really understanding what she is talking about and also knowing exactly what she is saying, is something that I have never experienced before. What she said about not being Kikyo's reincarnation and instead being Midoriko's was definitely not what I had been expecting to pour from her mouth. Even more shocking was the revelation that I was apparently far more powerful than Midoriko herself. I don't even have the words to begin trying to comprehend what she just told me. The fact that everything we have believed for the nearly six years I have been jumping through time has all been a lie is very hard to absorb. I don't know what I should be more concerned about: the fact that Midoriko is my past life and that I have more power than she did, or the fact that Kikyo is not of our bloodline and that the similarities between us is merely coincidence. I can't help the small gasp that escapes my throat when I also realize that everything that happened with Inuyasha was for naught. DAMN IT! All the anguish I went through because of that hanyou and his feelings for the clay pot……I just don't know what to think anymore.

Glancing back to my companion, I see the sympathy and assurance in her gaze and immediately relax at the compassion I feel from her. Smiling slightly in thanks, I take a few moments to gather my thoughts and then turn to face her again with a determined look in my eyes. There is nothing I can do about what happened in the past, but I can make sure that nothing like this ever happens again. So, taking one deep breath to harden my resolve, I stand before her and gather my courage around me like a shield.

"When do we begin?"

Her reaction is something that I wasn't expecting, but at the same time was not altogether unwelcome. Her bright smile and warm eyes told me that she was proud of my decision, but the seriousness in her gaze told me the training would be far from easy. Great…..this is exactly what I didn't have in mind when I imagined being in control. Whatever….

Nodding to her to show my readiness, she waves her hand around herself and her armor and ancient attire change to that of a training hakama and haori set. The black and midnight blue haori hugged her figure and tightened itself around her wrists to assure little movement of the fabric, while still being flexible. The design was of a massive black sun with blue fire-like tendrils flaring out from the middle and wrapping themselves around her torso before ending at a single point on each wrist. Her hakama were a matching midnight blue that reflected off the different light, giving them an otherworldly appeal. Her feet were left bare and her hair was tied back in a messy bun high atop her head.

Realizing that my jaw is hanging open, I quickly close it and try to stifle my shock at her quick transformation. She gestures to me to do the same thing and I look at her strangely.

Quickly explaining to her that I haven't been trained and I do not have the skill to do such a thing, she giggles quietly before quickly clearing her throat and stepping closer so that she is only an arm length away. Raising her hand, she places her pointer finger against my forehead and it begins to glow faintly. I feel my eyes flutter slowly before closing as a massive amount of knowledge is poured into my mind. I can only assume she is filling me with all her experiences as a miko and everything she knows about different spells, herbs and anything else she feels is pertinent to my training. Swaying on my feet as the full extent of her power envelops me; I feel her arm steady me as she grasps my wrist tightly.

Finally shaking my head to clear it enough for fear of toppling over, I open my eyes slowly and when my world no longer feels like it is trying to tilt, I let go of her wrist and step away from her to gather my bearings. Once I feel comfortable in the knowledge that her actions had no undo effect on my being, I raise my arm and watch mesmerized as my outfit changes to a fighting haori and hakama that match hers in everyway, except that my sun is blood red with emerald green fire-like tendrils curling around my solid black training set. Looking quickly to my feet, I notice that I am wearing something akin to black combat boots without the heavy weight. Smiling slightly at my double, I suddenly realize that I do not know her name. Glancing down to the floor, I speak quietly so as not to startle her in this silent place. Hearing an audible sigh on her part, I quickly look up and see that she is staring at me with something akin to amusement dancing in her sapphire depths.

"You may call me by my given name. Although I am not entirely sure if you will understand the implications of doing such a thing, I know that sooner or later all will be revealed and I do not want to subject you to anymore misconceptions. I am called Celine. Now, let us begin."

Nodding slightly toward Celine, I stand tall beside her as she begins to explain the different ways to harness my power. To say that I am speechless would be a serious understatement. To think that all I had to do was believe I was capable of creating an energy weapon and then concentrate enough that it would form was absolutely infuriating. Although, now that I know how simple it is to cast such a spell, I have much more confidence than a few moments ago and so I immediately begin to focus my energy to continue my training. Within a little over an hour, I have mastered my abilities to mold and harness my power, while transforming it into whatever I desire it to become.

If only I had known these things all along, it would have made our long journey so much easier. I could have protected everyone with much more skill and even been able to fend for myself without as much as a backward glance to my hanyou friend. Thinking about Inuyasha makes me realize that I could very well have already learned many of my new abilities if only he hadn't put me down so much that I started believing him. I know that he meant well and that it wasn't his intention to hurt me or make me feel useless and unwanted, but I can't help wondering if he didn't hold me back all of these years. He never liked the idea of me training with Sango or Miroku, even though I could have vastly improved my skills in both areas and then suddenly it all makes sense.

He has been comparing me to his clay bitch for so long now that he made absolutely sure I would not surpass her in power, skill or fighting technique. In so doing, he made it impossible for me to reach my potential and at the same time he could continue putting me down because I would never truly surpass Kikyo while he was near. Dear God! I can't believe he would do something like this to me! I thought he was my friend. Could he possibly have done that unintentionally? Is there a possibility that I could be mistaken? Turning sharply so that I can see Celine out of the corner of my eye, the expression on her face tells me everything I need to know. I never would have become what I needed to in order to defeat Naraku and if the Powers that be had not intervened, we would all have perished in the final battle. The implications of this are exponential. I can feel my shoulders begin to slump and the burning in my eyes multiply tenfold as I come to the conclusion that there is no way for me to know whether or not Inuyasha was the only one in our group to hold me back, or if everyone was intentionally or otherwise, doing it out of a need to keep me safe or something along those lines, or if they simply wanted to see me fail.

There is no way I will be able to face them again without knowing the truth so I wipe my tears as quickly as possible and look into her fathomless navy depths, praying to anything that will listen that I am wrong about my conclusions and that this is all a horrible nightmare. But one glance into her bottomless orbs turns my whole world upside down. She looks at me with something akin to pity and understanding and I can only shake my head as more tears fall unchecked down to the floor. Then something she says strikes a chord within me.

"With great power comes a greater understanding of the needs that surround us in everyday life. Although you have been traveling with your companions throughout your entire journey, do not expect to continue doing such. Your paths have come to an impasse. You will have a choice to make when you have completed your training. Regardless of your choice, remember that although you feel as if you are walking this path alone, there are allies that surround you always. There are many things that you will not have the benefit of understanding until the time is right. All I can ask you to do is bear with us and please try to take all this in with as much grace and dignity that you possess."

Taking a deep breath and repeating her words over and over again within my mind, I finally comprehend what she was trying to tell me, without words. Reading between the lines gives me the distinct impression that she was warning me of things to come, without actually breaking any rules with the Powers. Nodding once in understanding, I desperately try to regain my bearings and center myself. Remembering something pertinent in the knowledge Celine passed on to me, I take a deep breath and let the words flow through me as if coming from my very soul. Glowing brightly, I feel myself centering and again a calm settles over my being. Once I am under control, I open my eyes to ask Celine about something that has been bothering me since the beginning of our little meeting and stop suddenly when my vision flashes and I am now standing in the middle of a clearing covered in wild flowers. My clothing is made of a simple silk kimono with wild flowers nearly identical to those in this field embroidered along the sleeves that wrap themselves around the kimono in no particular pattern. The flowers are red, yellow and blue and the light green of the background brings out the color of each flower perfectly. Offsetting the background, a white obi is tied around my waist and I notice absently that my feet are bare. Turning around slowly, I begin to take in my surroundings. This clearing is circled by lush trees and thick foliage, the overall effect being complete serenity. I notice in my browsing that there is a hot springs off to the far left from where I am located and since I cannot sense anything in the nearby vicinity, I decide to enjoy this moment of peace while it lasts, without the worry of a certain angry hanyou ruining what little peace and quiet I am able to partake in.

Using my senses to sweep the area, I confirm that I am alone again and slowly begin to remove my kimono. Untying the obi from my waist, I watch disinterestedly as it falls unceremoniously to the ground at my feet. Stepping out of my kimono, I watch as it flutters loosely on the breeze before joining its' counterpart in a pile. Suddenly feeling a warm burst of wind on my naked flesh, I tense immediately when I also feel the powerful aura of someone I never thought to feel again, at least not without his fury licking at my skin and making my reiki bubble to the surface. Forcing myself to relax, I slowly turn to face my opponent and refuse to flinch when I realize that I am still very nude. Meeting his frozen amber depths, I once again feel the power of his aura as it nearly tries to consume me. Determined not to show him an ounce of fear, I call upon my reiki in a soundless request for assistance and am not disappointed when I feel my skin begin to glow with the purity of my essence.

Seeing his eyes narrow minutely, I assume that what I have just done is challenge him for dominance and know that he is taking it quite seriously when he pulls Tokijin from its' sheath at his side. Nodding my head in response to his readiness for a duel, I raise my right hand in the air and blow on it, summoning my purity blade to me within seconds. Bringing it above my head in a wide arc, I block his immediate attack and brace myself for the battle to come. I will not back down to this demon, regardless of how much I love him. He will not hesitate to kill me now that my powers have come to the surface and so before he can attack me again, I quickly draw my left hand about my person and instantly my training gi forms. His eyes widen slightly in response to the obvious skills I have perfected, but before I can think on anything else, he once again lunges toward me with deadly intent. His eyes speak volumes to me in that moment and it nearly takes my breath away when I see the heated look in his amber depths. So, this battle is a turn on for him is it? Well then, smirking lightly in response to his obvious arousal that tents his hakama, I blow on my left hand again and my shield disappears within moments. Sesshomaru halts his attack when he sees my sword fade away as well and the look in his eyes tells me loud and clear that he does not trust me for a second and that apparently I just made a fatal mistake.

Using my right hand this time, I again blow on it and my training gi disappears from whence it came and I turn my back on him. His low growl of displeasure and fury at being dismissed by me echoes in the surrounding forest. Turning my head to look at him over my shoulder, I send him a look that says I refuse to fight him and that I will not waste my time with such trivial things. His eyes flash red once before his amber eyes settle on my naked form again. Walking further away from him and our apparent duel, I pass by my pile of clothing and step lightly into the hot springs that I had originally been aching to submerge myself in. Sighing once in pleasure as I rest my back against the edge and immediately relax, I feel the water ripple against my heated flesh and know that I have a visitor. Turning my head to give him an expectant look, I feel the warmth in my belly double when his tongue snakes out and laps at the skin that once held his mating mark. Shuddering in response to his attentions, I close my eyes at the delicious sensations running rampant through my blood and let out a hearty moan of pleasure. Turning my body so that we are now facing each other, I let my eyes roam over his hard chest and watch fascinated as his muscles bunch and flex under my scrutiny.

Unable to control my actions, I begin to trail a searing path of indistinguishable designs on his naked flesh and giggle lightly when he lets out a loud groan of pleasure before he can catch himself. My eyes immediately search out his and I somehow know that this is the same Sesshomaru that I nearly purified on the outside only minutes before. He obviously sees the questions floating in my eyes and he smirks lightly in response before speaking softly.

"Miko, I do not know where we are. One second I was standing beside the barrier you erected about your person and then the next I was standing in this clearing with you. What is this place?"

"I know as much as you do at the moment. I was just training within my inner sanctum with Celine a moment ago and then suddenly I was standing in this field of flowers. Perhaps this is a message from the Kami that we are meant to be together."

Seeing his eyes widen minutely at the implications of my words, I suddenly feel the weight of his stare and cannot help falling into the bottomless pools of gold and their intensity. He slowly begins to inch his way toward me and I am inclined to do the same. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me flush against his body. Hissing at the intimate contact, he crushes our lips together and thrusts his tongue into my mouth. Moaning in ecstasy at finally being back in his arms, I wrap my arms around his neck and enthusiastically respond to his advances. Tongues dueling for dominance, I submit willingly when he growls a warning to know my place and although I feel my anger spike at his insinuation, I decide to let him have his way because there is still a large amount of guilt worming its' way into my heart and soul over what took place only minutes ago.

I pull away abruptly when I remember all that happened between us and desperately try to remove his hold on my body. I refuse to fall under his spell again. He does not believe in me or my abilities and therefore is not worthy of me. Stepping away from him, I growl disapprovingly toward him when he tries to step back into my arms. He stops abruptly and looks at me with something akin to distrust and wariness. So, we are going to play this game again are we? Fine by me.

"You think so little of me that you believed with one swipe of your sword, I would be dead. You did not believe me when I told you I was being controlled and then to add insult to injury, you simply wanted to ignore everything that happened in favor of what? Your horny so I should just bend over and take it like a good bitch right? Fuck you Sesshomaru! I will not be denied the satisfaction of seeing you suffer as you made me suffer!"

His loud growl of warning goes unheeded as I turn my back on him, in essence denying his dominance over me, and then I am suddenly pulled unceremoniously back into his embrace with one clawed hand wrapped around my neck. I growl out my own displeasure at being treated this way and also growl out a warning of what will happen if he does not release me immediately. His response to my threat is to tighten his hold on my neck and then to rub his hardening length against my ass. Stiffening at the contact, I snarl loudly in response to his total lack of regard to my wishes. I begin to call upon my reiki and feel it bubbling to the surface and ready an attack that will render him hopefully unconscious, but his soft voice halts my actions.

"Miko, you are this Sesshomaru's chosen mate and I will not be denied. I assure you that I did not think so little of you at any time; otherwise I would never have considered mating you. Do you truly think so little of me that I would sully my honor just to rut with you in the woods only to get back to my palace and watch you die at the hands of a jealous demoness? Did you think I would not help you harness your powers so that when the time came for you to duel any demoness that challenged our mating, you would be left defenseless?"

Thinking over his words, I immediately stiffen when I feel him grinding his hard cock against my backside once again and cannot help the little moan of pleasure that rips from my throat. DAMN HIM, but that feels wonderful. Feeling the pressure on my neck lesson considerably at my reaction to him, I turn in his embrace once again and look deep into his eyes.

"Why did you probe my thoughts when I grabbed Inuyasha's arm and moved ahead of you earlier?"

"What you did, intentionally or otherwise, told me that you no longer believed me capable of protecting you and by grabbing Inuyasha's hand and moving to stand in front of my person, you were telling me that you wanted Inuyasha to battle for dominance within our pack. If we battled and I won, he would be killed immediately for his disrespect of his alpha, but if he won, I would be forced to submit to his will as the new alpha male of our pack and he would take his rightful place as your mate and immediately begin mating you. Do you understand why I did that now? It was not my intention to hurt you, I was merely trying to discern if that is truly what you wanted to happen or if you simply didn't understand the implications of your actions."

Eyes wide, I feel them get even wider when his full explanation finally sinks in. Holy Shit! It was all a big misunderstanding….but what about…….

"Sesshomaru, why then did you not trust my explanation to you after I healed your wounds? I saw the look in your eyes and on your face. Do not try to tell me that I misunderstood what was running through your mind at the time."

"Kagome, I am not the kind of demon that trusts easily. If and when I am betrayed, my first reaction will always be to get retribution for my betrayal. The reason I was shocked when you blocked my original attack was because my anger and rage knew no bounds and to think that a human, even you, could have blocked that with such ease at the time, truly baffled me. I have never doubted your potential, which is one of the many reasons I mated you. If you trust anything, trust that I am speaking the truth and that I do believe you when you say you were being controlled. I may not know you as well as everyone else within our pack, but I know you well enough to know without a shadow of a doubt that you would never willingly hurt anyone you considered friend. I just couldn't see it at the time because I was so angry and hurt that you so easily removed my claim without regard for my feelings, that I wanted to make you hurt as well. I apologize for my actions."

Nodding once in understanding, I lean in closer to him and wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him close.

"I'm sorry to. I never meant for any of this to happen. Please believe me when I say that I would never willingly hurt you or anyone else. I love you so much that it hurts sometimes and I do not know what I would do without you."

Seeing his eyes soften at my confession, he leans toward my ear and whispers quietly, while tonguing the shell at the same time.

"I love you to, little Miko. Now stop this incessant rambling and kiss me before I do something rash and take you now before another moment has passed."

Smirking devilishly at his comment and knowing full well that he is telling the truth because his thick arousal is still pressed tightly against my inner thigh, I crush our lips together and grind my wet heat into him with reckless abandon, desperate for him to fill me once again.

Apparently, we had similar ideas because almost immediately, my back is being pressed against the wall of the spring and he is buried to the hilt within me. I feel my eyes roll to the back of my head at the sensation I never thought I would feel again and I moan loudly when he pulls out torturously slow before slamming back into me with so much force I nearly lose my breath. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I feel him thrust deeper within me and I unconsciously pull his hair much harder than I originally set out to do. His growl of approval at the rough treatment only urges me to continue and so I do it again, as hard, if not harder than the first time and then buck my hips against him when he slows his movements. Growling low in my throat, I warn him that I am in no mood to be teased and he needs to take me hard and fast like the bitch I am.

His smug look of male satisfaction at my unintentional admittance of being his bitch goes unheeded as I grind my heat against him as hard as I can in the position I'm in and then it is my turn to give him a smug look when his reaction is to thrust against me with such abandon that white spots appear before my vision and before it can clear I am thrust into a powerful orgasm that makes my toes curl with satisfaction. His howl of triumph shakes me from my stupor and then suddenly, I feel his fangs against my collarbone. He does not mark me however and then I realize that he is waiting for my permission. Smiling to myself at his regard for my feelings, I tilt my neck to the side and show my submission as well as my want to be marked and then suddenly a blinding pain quickly followed by a massive orgasm rips through my already sexually charged body. Panting harshly in response to the feelings still running rampant within me, I glance at his eyes and once again notice his smug look. Smacking him playfully on the shoulder, I turn to his collarbone and my eyes widen fractionally when he slices the skin just above it. Quickly looking to him to make sure I understand his wishes correctly, I use my tongue to quickly lick up the trail of blood and immediately feel the difference in myself. Continuing to lick and suck the wound until I am no longer graced with his life giving ambrosia, I look into his eyes once again and nod in understanding at what I see.

I know that we have just completed the mating ritual and that we are once again mates, but for some reason this experience feels different from the first time. I assume that our souls bonded as well as our bodies, significantly lengthening my lifespan to match that of his own, but there is something else that I cannot fully grasp that is different.

Suddenly I feel the world beginning to spin and close my eyes in reaction. A few seconds tick by and when I finally regain my equilibrium, I open my eyes to gaze in shock at Celine. What the fuck just happened? Looking to her for an explanation, she holds up her hand as if to stall my questions and speaks softly.

"That was a gift from me to you. Please do not think it was all some illusion, I assure you that it was real. When you rejoin your companions you will feel the differences coursing through your veins. You will be stronger, faster, and more agile and your power will have grown exponentially. This is all due to your miko reiki accepting the jyaki that Sesshomaru's blood carried. Now that you have both reiki and jyaki at your disposal, I fear that anyone who tries to underestimate you will be sorely disappointed. I look forward to testing your new powers. Now rest a while to regain your strength because I assure you that when you are recovered, there will be hell to pay for making me wait."

Seeing the look in Celine's eyes, I know that she is laughing at my expense and that her threats are not something to worry about. Although, perhaps I should still proceed with caution….I wonder how Sesshomaru and Inuyasha are doing right now? What about Miroku, Sango and Shippo? Are they resting well at Kaede's? Is Sango's belly already swollen with child? Is Miroku still as lecherous as ever or did he finally learn his lesson? Has Shippo grown? Does he miss me?

Sighing audibly at my current train of thought, I decide instead to try and rest as Celine told me to do. Something tells me that I will be sore for quite a while well before she is done with me.

Fabulous….

Alright everyone that is gonna do it for this installment of Soul Consumption! I hope you enjoyed it and I look forward to getting any and all reviews from my readers. Trust me when I say that I have a thoroughly hectic life and that I don't usually have much time to write, but getting reviews assures me that I am not doing this just for my benefit. If I don't get reviews, I will assume that this is not being read and I will have to put it aside indefinitely. I hope to hear from you guys and if not, oh well. I will just have to stop writing and instead just read some of my favorite fics, like A Sentinel Mother or Conversations with a Taiyoukai. Both of which are written by demonlordlover and I must say that she is truly inspiring. If I had half as much talent as she, I would be a best selling author someday.

Ja…..


	7. Chapter 7

Hello readers and welcome to the seventh installment of Soul Consumption. I hope that you all enjoyed the last chapter and if you did, you are going to love this one. The majority of this chapter follows Kagome's training and the rest involves Sango, Miroku and Shippo as they rush to find Kagome and Inuyasha to tell them of a strange occurrence and powerful rumors floating through the nearby villages. I look forward to hearing your comments and thoughts and remember that constructive criticism is always welcome. All flames will be pondered for a moment before they too end up in the recycle bin, after all, recycling is the best thing you can do for the planet now a days….

I do NOT own Inuyasha or any subsidiaries therein. The only thing I gain from writing this story is lovely reviewers and fabulous characters to do my bidding….this should be interesting….

A special thanks go out to Sada, Paganstar21 and my cousin Diana for their thoughtful words, encouraging ideas and stubborn will to make sure I do not give in to the frustration that writer's block can do to you. Thank you all for your unyielding support and I can only hope that you, my muses, will never give up on me as we continue this journey together. Much love to you.

Soul Consumption

Chapter 7

Hardships and Peril

I awake from my healing sleep after my delicious rendezvous with Sesshomaru, to immediately begin training. Of course, the first thing I do is eat some not so yummy concoction that Celine made for me, ensuring me that although it isn't as delectable on the pallet as she would like, it is packed full of vitamins and everything the body needs to stay strong under harsh conditions. Mind you, I know that I am technically not eating because I am only in my incorporeal body, but even the mind needs energy when it is being overloaded, so this is what will help me replenish myself while I continue training.

I have been training with Celine for nearly three months now and I am exhausted from all the work, but I have indeed grown more powerful than I ever imagined I could be, so I suppose that I should be grateful and I am, in a way, but all I can think about now is getting back to the presence of my mate and my pack brother. I need to hold my kit in my arms and know that I am loved and right where I belong.

I am having problems concentrating on anything now and Celine is growing thoroughly impatient each passing second. There are only so many things I can do to continue my spells and incantations without any ability to concentrate on the task at hand and so I have yet to cast a decent spell today and Celine is looking worse for wear because of it.

I suppose I should start with the fact that I have been mated to my Sesshomaru for three months now and that because of the mating I can feel everything he feels through our soul link. The problem with that is simple. Although the passage of time is much slower on the outside compared to here, I have officially been out of his sensory range for almost a week his time and he is suffering for it. A newly mated couple needs to be in close contact for the duration of the initial blood rites. Once the couple has satisfied the needs from the blood sharing, they are free to do as they please because the mating bond is now nearly unbreakable. The only way to break it being if either mate loses in combat against a rival male or female for the other prospective mate's hand. Which is another reason Sesshomaru is so agitated; he needs to go to the West and present me to the other Lords before a fortnight has passed so that they may gather the respective suitors for either mate to be challenged and the mating revoked.

Now, being a miko and a human, I know I will have nearly every unmated demoness in the high court vying for my position as Lady of the Western Lands and mate to Lord Sesshomaru. What they will be counting on are the rumors saying that I am fully untrained, but I am glad to say that they will be sorely disappointed when they find out that is far from the truth of things.

My mate is in dire straights at the moment. His beast is continually rattling its' bindings, desperate for a way out because it does not believe that I am safe. Though, it can feel my essence and knows that I still breath and my heart beats strong in my breast, it also knows that I am only half there and that the rest of me resides within my inner chambers, where it cannot follow. This is very troubling for the dominating beast Sesshomaru shares a body with. Its' instincts are correct, that I can be killed in here, but Celine would never harm me and so his fears are unfounded, but that doesn't stop his beast from trying desperately to get free to protect its' mate any way it can.

Celine glares at me and the look in her eyes is a clear threat of pain if I do not concentrate on the task at hand and continue my training. So, putting aside my troubling thoughts and concentrating on my challenge, I call forth the power within my veins and smile faintly as I feel it bubble to the surface. Speaking in an ancient language that I am only vaguely familiar with, I summon the spirits of the wind. I call upon the wind nymphs and their power to do my bidding and watch in satisfaction as I form a large ball of wind in my hand and loose it at my opponent, which just happens to be Celine. The ball of power touches down mere inches from her position and then it swirls in a massive show of force as it forms into a large tornado-like funnel. Celine's sparring gi is flailing in the gail force winds and before I can form another ball of wind to follow its' brother into the battle, she counters with a call upon the destructive forces of the fire nymphs. A large burst of fire energy shoots out of her palm and makes itself a home within the large funnel of the tornado so close to her form.

The forces clash and fight, the funnel trying desperately to purge itself of the noxious fumes and finally giving into the will of the flames as the wind nymphs realize that their power only adds power to the fires. Turning quickly, in a large ark of destruction, it makes its way toward me and my eyes go wide at the large attack that will spell my doom if I can't think of a way to counter it. So, concentrating, I call upon the forces of nature and the water nymphs to do my bidding and protect us. The answering thunder clouds and tsunami of water they hail down upon the fire nymphs are my savior as the fire nymphs are demolished and the winds die down immediately. I smile in satisfaction when I see the outcome and Celine smirks thoughtfully in my direction before walking across the battlefield we just demolished. Luckily, with just a thought I can repair all the damage and have this area looking just like new in a matter of moments.

Celine looks to me with a serious expression before asking me to follow her into the meditation room. "There are some things we must discuss before we finish your training and you are reunited with your Taiyoukai." Nodding my head in understanding, I follow her with determination in my eyes. The sooner this talk is finished, the sooner I can get to my family and then to the destruction of Naraku. Entering the meditation room, I quickly sit on one of the many comfortable pillows in front of the large low tables for tea and wait for her to join me. Once settled, I pour her some hot chamomile tea and then do the same for myself. Adding the necessities like milk, honey or sugar take only a moment and then we sit in silence for a few minutes, basking in the serenity of this place and the delicious flavor of the calming tea.

Squaring her shoulders, she turns to me with something akin to regret shining in her eyes before it is quickly hidden behind her usual calm façade. "There are many things that should be said and many more that should have been dealt with long before now. I will attempt to answer many of your questions and probably end up adding more questions to your list, but I must do this now before you leave here."

Shifting her position, she lifts her veil of thick locks and bears her neck for me to see. There, I can clearly see a mating mark. That in itself does not shock me, but rather, the mating crest surrounding her mark does. Lifting my loose locks, I too bear my mark and my face pales when I realize that we both bear the same mating mark, from the same demon. That can mean only one of two things. Refusing to continue that line of thought any further than I already have before she tells me what I need to know, I give her a look that clearly states she is in desperate need of explaining things to me, or I will not be responsible for my actions.

Taking a deep breath, she looks me straight in the eye and speaks as though it is a matter of life and death. Somehow, I think she may be right. "I am Kagome Higurashi, Lady of the Western Lands and mate to Lord Sesshomaru. Many call me Celine because of the power I wield. It has a calming, serene texture and many say that my essence reminds them of the Goddess of the Moon, due to the healing effect I have on all creatures, be they human or demon. One of the Goddess' many names is Celine, which is how I was awarded that title. Some even go so far as to say that I am the reincarnated Goddess and that Sesshomaru is my immortal lover, bound to me in soul and power for all eternity."

The shock that is clearly written on my face is something that she is expecting because she doesn't even stop to acknowledge it. The look on her face says that there are far more revelations to come and that by the end of the night, my mind will be reeling. She shifts her position slightly and then begins to speak again.

"The reason I have travelled back to this time is because there is something you should know. I need to train you to harness your powers. I also need to train you to fight. There are hard times coming and I need you to succeed in everything you do. As you can see, I prevailed in all my battles, but at a high price. I nearly died in the last battle and if it wasn't for Sesshomaru sharing his life essence with me, I would have. Now we truly share one soul and if one of us should fall, the other will be severely weakened. The West will be ripe for the taking and that is what they are waiting for. What is most important right now is that you know Sesshomaru has somehow been infected by a deadly poison from one of his enemies and he is dying. Should he fall, the West will fall with him.

I am powerful and able, but I cannot stand against all the demon lords of the lands and any other rogue demons that would challenge me for the crown and the power that comes with it. I need you to become even more powerful than I, do the impossible. Defeat Naraku alone, and before he is completely purified, I need you to gather as much of his miasma as you are able without coming to harm yourself. With those poisonous fumes with you, come to your inner sanctum once again and give me what you have gathered. Together, we will make a poison stronger than the one that is killing my, our love. If given to your Sesshomaru slowly over time, he will become immune to the effects and he should recover completely while also recovering from the poison in his blood in the future. If my theory is correct, he should make a full recovery and no one in our time will know that he was poisoned in the first place, except for the one who was poisoning him. Do not ask me who it is because at this time I do not know, but I have my suspicions."

Frowning in thought at her obvious disdain and denial of that supposed killer in our midst, I look at her and can't help the words that come flying out of my mouth. "How the hell can you just stand there and do nothing? If you have your suspicions, then tell me who you think they are and I will start having them followed immediately after we arrive at the castle. The will never know we are watching them and one of them will reveal themselves as the assassin soon enough. When we find out who it is, we will punish them severely and while we are at it, I will contact you and inform you of the traitor to your house so he or she can be dealt with swiftly."

Nodding slightly at my plan of action, she smiles fondly at my fiery attitude and indomitable will. She too remembers what it was like to just be a human miko on a quest to find the jewel we broke. But she also knows what its like to be the Lady of the Western Lands and so while we are broaching the subject, I feel it only right that she give me some advice about dealing with Ladies of the High Court and other such nonsense I will need to know before I arrive. I would like to surprise Sesshomaru with my knowledge of his customs and see his reaction.

Hours pass as she informs me about all the pertinent information I will need to know to protect myself and to impress all the High Court Lords and Ladies. Apparently, I have to act as if I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I sit in shock as she describes each Lord and Lady and their likes and dislikes. I pay special attention to the part about which of them detest humans. The ones I know are a threat to me I will have to pay special attention to. Of course, now that my power has grown to insurmountable levels, I have every confidence that I will be the victor in every fight for my right to be the mate to Lord Sesshomaru and to every demon or demoness who thinks they are doing him a favor by relieving him of his detestable human mate.

Once I feel I have retained as much information as I can before my brain explodes, we stop talking and make our way back to the makeshift dojo I have created in this place. Celine thinks I need to practice my teleportation and transformation incantations and I have to agree with her, although I will never admit it. I remember when she first told me about being able to harness such power, I immediately thought of witches from the Salem witch trials. They could harness such power, but it was said that they were evil, Satan worshippers. Of course, this was only half of it because Midoriko could also harness such power. But, I also thought of Sasuki and his teachings. When everything was said and done, I realized that both teachings were the same and that because I already knew the spells, I just needed to practice them.

Eventually, Celine's reassuring smiles and comforting words convinced me that I would be fine and that Midoriko was a powerful force of good and I was destined to follow in her footsteps. She also told me then that it was a teleportation spell gone horribly wrong that created the Shikon No Tama and trapped both her soul and the soul of the powerful demon she had been fighting within it. It was then that she told me of her first experiences as the Lady of the Western Lands. She had been initially shunned and so naturally, had spent much of her time alone. It was on one of her many solitary expeditions that she found a hidden passage within one of the bookshelves in the library. Hesitant to enter at first, her curiosity got the best of her and she entered albeit reluctantly.

It lead her down a long winding stairway that had a large room at the bottom. It was a drawing room from what she could tell. It had a large futon in one of the corners, covered in large down pillows and soft blankets and shawls. There were large pillows on the floor surrounding a low table for drinking tea and serving food in the opposing corner and there was a large table with many drawings in the center of the room that stood higher than the other furniture. This table looked much like a modern day desk and upon closer inspection, the drawings were actually life-like depictions of powerful demons and miko's that practiced the dark arts. Each paper had a different creature with power that needed to be contained or destroyed. She became fascinated with the work. Eventually, Sesshomaru found her there and explained the significance of each work of art. He told her that each creature had either been brought to the West and had sworn allegiance on pain of death, or destroyed. That was one of the many ways the Western Lands became so formidable and why the other Lords were wary of what happened in their kingdoms so as to forgo any unneeded wars over petty misdeeds.

I was originally appalled when she told me about her first experience in the Western Castle, but I learned to apply that knowledge to the large wealth I already contained and it only furthered my training. Eventually, her stories stopped having such an impact on my morals and I learned to gather what knowledge and advantage I could from each of them and file away the remaining thoughts to be pondered at a later time.

Now, I take everything she has to say and make sure to listen to it, regardless of how some of it unsettles my stomach. I know that she too had to deal with everything I am right now and that is a comfort to me, knowing I am not going through this alone and that no matter what, she felt exactly as I feel right now. So, gathering my strength I focus my energy and picture the exact spot I want to be and silently begin to chant in the ancient dialect I am fast coming to know as if it were my first language. Concentration centered and destination frozen in my mind, I chant the line of the incantation and feel my power intensify in a powerful burst and then I feel as my body transports itself from the room we are in now to the meditation room if I did this right. Hesitantly opening my eyes, I smile in triumph as I see the large pillows surrounding the low table where we just had tea this morning and I turn with a smile on my face when I hear Celine arrive. She has a smile that matches my own in victory and I know that I have mastered all the spells she has taught me now, except one. Once I am finished with the transformation spell, then I will be completely trained and then I will be able to be reunited with the demon I love.

Celine and I decide to take what is left of the day off to replenish our energy and clear our heads of what we have talked about. The longer I sit in meditation the more confident I am of the eventual outcome of our destinies. There are many uncertainties that will show themselves, but regardless, I am still confident of the end result. I will still be mated to Sesshomaru and we will fight this poison together so that he will be immune to its' effects when the time comes for another Lord to get too greedy and auspicious that he hires an assassin to eliminate the most powerful Lord of them all. We will win at any cost. There is no other alternative.

Celine and I decide to meditate for about an hour or so and then retire for the evening. So, as I enter my meditative state, I try and send all my feelings of love and contentment to my mate, who is still desperately trying to keep his beast under control. I can feel his frustration and concern for my wellbeing and so I send him as much peace and calm as I can with the little amount of time I have been allotted and almost immediately feel the result. His beast calms to contentment and is lulled into a healing sleep and Sesshomaru relaxes tenfold. Once his beast is calmed he begins to send me feelings of gratitude and love and they are kept close to my heart for those hard times when I am frustrated and in need of being comforted.

The meditation ends much sooner than I would like and reluctantly I send my farewells to my soul-mate before I quiet the bond between us so that I can rest. Following Celine into one of the many rooms I have created over the vast amount of time we have been living here, I enter one door and she enters the one right beside it. Each room is nearly identical. One large bed in the center of the room, piled high with down pillows and heavy comforters, a nightstand with a glass of water and some reading material for those nights that insomnia is a hindrance. There is a large area rug on the cold marble floor and a large bay winder that overlooks whatever scenery your mind conjures at any given moment. My normal view is the ocean as far as the eye can see. The sound of the waves rushing the shore is so calming to my soul that I always find peace, even if it is only a figment of my imagination.

(On the outside)

Sango and Miroku waited for nearly a week at Kaede's before going out of their minds in frustration. Turning back the way they came, Sango glances once to the little kit tucked in her arms and then back to the houshi sitting behind her. With a nod of silent acquiescence and a yell for Kirara to follow the trail of the two Inu brothers and Kagome, they take off with a mission.

Flying through the air, Sango has little to do but think about what has been going on while they were away. Hoping that nothing serious happened while she was at Kaede's hut, she knows that a little part of her is hoping for a good battle. The tension that has been slowly building for the past week when she and Miroku received no word from Kagome and her group, other than when Kirara brought back Shippo, which meant that something had happened to endanger the kit and she had been worried ever since. However, this trip would easily put to rest any feelings of anxiety she had left once they arrived to survey the damage, or hopefully the peace. Feeling herself tensing in preparation for a good fight, just in case, she immediately freezes when she feels a light brush against her ass.

Swiftly turning in her position, she swings her hiraikotsu with deadly precision, knocking Miroku in the head hard enough to knock him out. Now that he is unconscious, she won't have to worry about being fondled for at least a couple hours and so relaxing slightly, she readjusts Shippo in her arms and then turns back to the landscape, paying special attention to the trail they are following and the surrounding vegetation.

Hours pass and Miroku slowly begins to stir. Sango stiffens again and prepares herself for another swift strike against his head if he tries anything, but when he starts to speak to her in soft tones, she hesitantly relaxes back into him.

"I know how stressed you have been lately because you haven't heard from Kagome and it didn't help when Shippo came running into your arms with tears streaming down his face after he jumped off Kirara when she returned from their camp, but I promise you that you aren't the only one who misses her and I will always be here for you. No matter how much you want to stand on your own, you will never be far from me because I love you and even though I have a tendency to touch you when it is unwarranted, I cannot help myself because you are the Goddess Aphrodite reborn and I am but a humble monk born to prostrate at your temple. I swear to you that I will never fondle a woman other than you and to always be faithful to you for as long as we live."

Hearing his truthful and heartfelt words, Sango can not help the way her heart flutters in her breast as she hears what she has been longing to after so many years. Not knowing what else to do, she starts to tremble as her feelings take over her body. Tears fall silently as she takes in all he said and feels her heart grow so full that she fears it will break, but one look at the honesty in his face and the only thing she can do is smile.

Seeing the shock on his face at her expression, she moves Shippo to rest on her hip and embraces the monk she loves with as much love and adoration as possible at the moment. Kirara never even shifts her momentum at the declarations of love and adoration. But then again, she has known all along that the two are desperately in love and it was only a matter of time before they put their petty differences aside and joined together.

"Miroku, I don't know why it has taken you so long to say these things to me, but I love you dearly and I swear I will always be by your side for as long as the Kami allow us to be together and I will bear you as many children as you want, hentai."

The look of absolute contentment that passes his face will never leave her mind as they embrace once more before Shippo begins to stir. Breaking apart, they each give him a shining smile in welcome to the gentle afternoon breeze.

Getting up and stretching as awkwardly as he can, he looks at both the houshi and taijiya with a question clear on his face. "What is going on? Have we found Kagome yet? Is she alright? Did Inuyasha hurt her again?"

Giving each other looks of confusion for a moment, they decidedly change them to looks of understanding and compassion before nodding their heads in silent agreement that no matter what happens, he will always have a place by their side.

Shippo glances from Sango to Miroku and stares suspiciously as they have a silent conversation with simple looks and gestures. Knowing that they are discussing him and possibly Kagome, he narrows his eyes and waits for them to finish whatever it is the're doing before he makes his opinion known.

A few minutes later, he gets his chance when the gestures quiet and the adults before him sit motionless. "I might be just a kid, but I am not stupid. I know that you were just having one of your silent conversations and I know it had something to do with me. Why can't you just talk to me? Is there something that I should know? Is Kagome hurt and you're trying to keep me away from her? You better tell me what's going on or I will make you pay!"

The surprised looks on both Sango and Miroku only deter him for a moment and then he jumps out of her embrace with the intention of leaping from Kirara's back and had Miroku not seen the move coming, they might have lost the little fur ball. Scowling at his back for a moment, Sango calms her raging nerves and wraps her arms around his middle once again. He immediately begins to struggle against her hold and she calms him the best she can in place of his adoptive mother. Rocking him gently, she whispers that he is not alone and that Kagome is safe, wherever she is and they are headed in her direction as they speak. Those words seem to calm him considerably and he relaxes in her hold as the tears begin to fall.

Coming over a rise, they see a clearing just ahead with a distinctive set of silver hair. There is also a purple barrier surrounding their favorite black haired priestess and just the familiar scent of her power is enough to calm the kitsune down. They land just inside the clearing and look to the three demons within.

Sesshomaru is standing beside his mate in a protective manner and Inuyasha is holding a large bird youkai that looks vaguely familiar. The bird looks a little worse for wear, but Inuyasha has a few torn pieces of his haori that have yet to mend themselves saying that he was also wounded in the scuffle.

Coming to an abrupt halt and relieving Kirara of her burden, Shippo jumps down and runs to Kagome, but stops when a loud growl sounds through the clearing. Fearfully glancing toward the tall Taiyoukai, he nearly stumbles in his attempt to get as far away from Sesshomaru as possible upon hearing the threatening sound.

Sesshomaru glares at the kit that would dare come between him and his mate, his instincts running high. Shippo warily makes his way toward his mother, regardless of the warning from the stoic lord.

From the shadows nearby, an unseen pair of blood red eyes gazes upon the clearing with barely veiled hatred and contempt. Taking a special interest in the woman wrapped in a purple barrier, he never takes his eyes off her lithe form. Mind plotting exhaustively to make sure that she eventually falls into his hands, he smiles gleefully when he feels the pulse in her powers. She is performing some powerful spells within herself for her power to spike that much in so little time, which means that somehow she is learning to control her power. Someone is teaching her to harness the power that flows in her veins and if it the last thing he does, he will find and watch in fascination as they take their last breath at his hand.

I wake from my fitful slumber and know without even looking that Naraku is nearby where we rest. Looking to my left, I see Celine with much the same look on her face and decide to try out my newest training on the vile creature.

Concentrating on the task at hand, I grasp Celine's hand and close my eyes, determined to keep Naraku from finding out all our plans before we have the chance to explain what has taken place in the time I have been in my inner sanctum. Feeling power envelop me in a piercing light, I call as much as I will need to the forefront of my mind and then unleash my spell with the simultaneous flick of the wrist between us.

Naraku is brought abruptly out of his devious thoughts when he is nearly cut in two by the sheer force of purifying energy he is suddenly surrounded by. Growling low in contempt when he recognizes the scent of whose power is trying to purify him, he quickly surrounds himself with Miasma and disappears from sight, but not before sending his own deadly stream of power back through the attack sent at him. Leaving the area with a smile on his face, he is content in the knowledge that he has given the priestess a simple taste of the darkness he is made of. Chuckling darkly to himself, he lifts into the air and back to his hidden fortress, promises of pain and torment fresh in his mind.

Celine and I gasp in pain when we feel the backlash of Naraku's own assault. Desperate to rid ourselves of the darkness trying to imbed itself within our purity, we immediately bring forth a barrier of impenetrable strength to surround us as we clasp hands and delve deep into our power reserves to purify our shared body at the moment.

Hours pass within our forced prison as we slowly purify the dark taint of Naraku within our midst. Exhausted, but satisfied when we come out of the barrier completely unscathed, Celine and I look to each other with a shared determination. Now is the time to finish the training. All that is left is the transformation spell and then I can join my friends on the outside and continue our hunt for Naraku. We must act quickly. The hanyou is indeed resourceful if he can fake his own death and make everyone believe he has been dead all these long weeks since the final battle had waged. Apparently, it wasn't as final as we all had hoped.

So, gathering my strength and taking a deep breath to center myself, I focus on what I would like to transform myself into and concentrate as I speak the incantation. I feel as the power surrounds my body and I hear the distinct hum of magic as it whirls around my changing form.

Realizing I closed my eyes during the spell, I open them quickly and turn toward Celine. She has a shocked look on her face and her expression brings a laugh before I can stop it. But she also starts to giggle in her throat, so I summon a mirror and look upon the form I have taken.

For all intents and purposes I look exactly like Inuyasha. The only problem being that his long silver hair is swept up into a pony tail tied with a bright pink bow and in place of his fire rat robes, I dressed him in a pink teddy to get him back for all the years of bad mouthing, name calling and all around being a big jerk.

And the cherry on the pie of all the time I have been in this godforsaken era, I mentally project my image from Celine's mind to all the friends we have in the clearing, except for Shippo, his mind is too young to be mentally scarred by this image.

I can hear Inuyasha's indignant outrage at what I just did, but I can't help myself. He knows I have been miserable for a long time now and he never gave me an answer one way or another with our situation, always leading me on and never giving me a definite answer. Of course, I should have known many years ago, but the heart chooses who you love and unfortunately it is blind and stupid most of the time.

Luckily, for a little over a year now, every time Sesshomaru approached us, I found that my heart would beat a little quicker and my breath would come in pants. I had always found him to be the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. Eyes so fathomless and cold I thought I might freeze just gazing into them, but then I saw that they were indeed the way to the soul, like so many others have said. Over bright and liquid fire, each spoke volumes when I looked into them and they warmed only for me.

If not for Sesshomaru, I might have been that love-sick school girl for eternity. But, because of the passion I feel for my Taiyoukai, I will never be alone again.

Waving farewell after I hear Celine's parting words, I open my eyes to look into the liquid fire depths of the one I love.

My savior, my passion, my soul consumption.

Alright everyone, that is gonna do it for this chapter. I am sorry about the long delay, but I was distracted with a few other stories that I could not get away from. So, I am posting this chapter with two others, as they would not leave me alone until I wrote them down. Now then, I hope that the next chapter will be shorter in coming, but don't hold your breath, unless of course you decide to review and tell me how my newest chapter is….if I get enough reviews, you might be surprised with how fast I can post.

Thanks for reading and check out my two newest fics, Blood for Blood and There you Go.

Ja!


	8. Chapter 8

Hi all. Thanks for joining me in the newest installment of Soul Consumption. This is much faster than I normally post, but because of the reviews, I couldn't help it. Thank you to all of you that reviewed and I hope I can keep your interests peeked with this chapter. Please review to tell me what you think.

As always, I do NOT own Inuyasha and company. Please don't sue, there would be no point.

A special thanks go out to my cousin Diana. She is a wonderful muse who helps me brainstorm when I need it desperately. If it wasn't for her, I assure you that this chapter would be a long time in coming.

Also, my other beta's and muses, Sada and Paganstar21, whom are truly dear to my heart, a special thanks are just for you because without your encouragements, corrections and damn stubborn wills, I would not be posting much anymore. You complete me!

A special thanks goes to Rebecca the Priestess, whose review left me breathless and nearly in tears. I truly appreciate your words and I must say that yours is the best review an author could hope for. In honor of your touching words, I am dedicating this chapter to you because without you, this chapter would have been long overdue. Thank you for moving me.

Soul Consumption

Chapter 8

Battle Royale

Smiling brightly in his direction, I drop the barrier surrounding my form and Sesshomaru immediately wraps me in his embrace. I throw my arms around his neck and start to sob as silently as I can. I can never tell him how sorry I am for hurting him and there is nothing I can ever do to make it up to him, but I will be damned if I don't spend the rest of my life trying. His whispered words of affection and forgiveness move me in such a way that I am left feeling at peace for the first time in a long time. I take a deep breath and his scent, pine trees of the forest and the fresh smell of honey, the completely masculine smell of him surrounds me and I can't help feeling safe in his embrace. Pulling away slightly, I lean into him once again and kiss his soft lips. I have missed this most about our parting. Once I am satisfied that he still loves me and I am forgiven for what happened before I purified myself, I release him from my grasp and turn to face my friends that have recently arrived in the clearing.

Smiling brightly at Sango and Miroku, I give them each a welcoming hug, being wary of Miroku's wandering hands and then giggle when Shippo flies into my awaiting arms. Ruffling his hair and giving him a tender hug, I whisper that I missed him terribly and I am glad that he is here. I ask him if he has been a good boy and he puffs out his chest in obvious pride that he has been a very good boy. Nodding toward Inuyasha after giving Shippo another tight hug, I let him go and he jumps back onto Miroku's shoulder. Walking toward Inuyasha, I smile at him and he does the same, although he is still smarting from the mental image I sent everyone yesterday. He moves his arm to the side and I see Sasuki still sitting there. He is bound in rope and gagged with what looks like an old shirt. I give him my best sympathetic look and then begin to walk by his side, but a loud growl of disapproval reaches my ears and I stop dead in my tracks.

Turning slightly, I regard my mate closely with a questioning look and wait for him to elaborate on the clear warning he has just given me. I don't have to wait long because soon enough, he stalks toward me. When he is within touching distance, he grabs my arm and pulls me back against him. Giving him a look that clearly says he needs to explain his actions or I will break from his grasp and continue my journey toward my old friend, I nod in satisfaction when he begins to whisper in my ear of his actions. I continue to nod at his words and when he finishes, I look at him and say, "I already know what he has done Sesshomaru. There is nothing that you could say that will surprise me. Although he came here because of Naraku's bidding, he is not evil and is a good demon. Let me speak to him, please." Sesshomaru gives me a look that clearly says he is not going to agree to that, but a soothing hand to his cheek, stroking it lovingly and a pleading look and he relented, although he warily kept his eyes on Sasuki. Apparently, he feels that I am mistaken about him and one wrong move and he will be a smoldering pile of skin and bones with the distinct smell of acridly sweet poison. Nodding slightly at his implied threat, I close the distance between Sasuki and I, quickly removing his restraints and then embrace him with all the love I would show an old friend, which is exactly what he is. Remembering all the things that he taught me before Celine arrived to finish the job, I reluctantly let him go and then give him a quick once over.

Seeing that he has a large gash in his side from Inuyasha's claws, I gather some of my energy and push it into his wound. It hisses for a second before closing up and I can see an immediate change in the way he carries himself. Sitting up and giving him a smile of encouragement, he lifts himself off the ground and stands before me with a smile on his face. Once I know he is ok, I ask him what has been bothering me. "Why are you here and why have you been following Naraku again? I thought that you were never going to deal with him again when you found out the truth of what happened last time." He frowns and I can see the regret he feels rolling around in his aura; it is nearly suffocating. Giving him a chance to speak, I wait patiently as he tries to gather his thoughts. Nodding his head to let me know that he is ready to speak, I give him an encouraging smile so he knows that I am not judging him in any way.

He speaks quietly, as if he feels that to speak too loud would inadvertently give away something to the enemy and begins to tell his tale of deceit. "Naraku tricked me. The whole time I was being deceived and I didn't even know it until it was too late. He made me believe that the princess I loved so dearly loved me as well and that the only way to save her was to find and destroy you and your friends and then he would give me a jewel shard that would take her pain away." Scowling in anger at himself, he continued his story. "She was one of his lackeys the whole time. I truly thought she loved me. We would have made strong pups together and I would have mated her. I thought we would be happy, but Naraku appeared to me as soon as I had left your sight the last time we met. He told me of his deceit, but I refused to believe him. When I returned to the palace, she would not see me. She said she refused to be sullied in the presence of a weak demon any longer and that Naraku was the only demon strong enough to bed her. I went into a rage. I couldn't see anything but a red haze consuming my vision."

He drops his head into his hands and bows before me as if the pains of his memories are too hard for him to bear. Sympathy washes over me and I embrace him, trying desperately to send some love and comfort through my body and into his. A few minutes go by and he finally seems to gain enough control over his emotions before he pushes gently away from me. His eyes are grateful, but his body tells me that he does not deserve comfort for what he has done. He clears his throat and begins to speak. "When I came out of my rage, I was deep in the forest and covered in blood. I didn't know what happened, but I refused to believe that I had killed her in my rage. I went back to the village and everything was dead. I howled my remorse and shame at my actions and when I was done, there he was again. He told me that there was one thing I needed to do for him and if I did it, in exchange he would give me a shard of the Shikon and I could bring my lady love back to life. I agreed without a second thought, thinking I had done this horrible act and needing to atone for my sins, I immediately set out for you. I was to control your body from outside with my powers when I saw your soul leave your body, leaving to follow the black taint of Naraku's power. Once I had you under my control, I was supposed to kill your comrades and then take your soulless shell to Naraku.

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha both snarled loudly at the implications of his assignment and stepped forward as if to attack him. I jump in front of him protectively and allow my reiki to come forth. Snarling myself, I warn them that if either of them come anywhere near him I will let loose a purifying blast that will make them wish they never crossed me. Both growl lowly at my audacity and tell me I need to know my place and I immediately snarl in contempt. My message is clear. My place is by Sesshomaru's side as his mate and the Lady of the Western Lands, but if they are not careful, I will once again sever our link and leave them both behind if they are going to continue acting like fools. They take a step back and I lower my protective shield around Sasuki and I. They are both honorable youkai and will not attack him once they give their word. So, nodding at him to continue, he looks warily between me and the demons surrounding me before continuing slowly.

"Once I returned you to him, he would give me the shard and I would resurrect my love. But when I was about to use my power to control you, my beast awoke from its long slumber and showed me the images from that night when I went into my rage. I didn't kill anyone. I left into the forest and killed a large boar demon and feasted on its flesh. When I awoke and saw the blood I just assumed that I had done something horrible in my rage. I went back to the village and that is when Naraku appeared to me. It wasn't my doing, but his. He destroyed the village and then let me take the blame for it. He knew that my honor would not let me live with what I had done and that I would try to atone for my actions. He took advantage of my lost memories because he knew that until my beast awoke from its contented sleep, I would not know what really happened. When Inuyasha struck me against the side and left that large gash, my beast awoke with a start and so did my memories. I have just been sitting here ever since, trying desperately to erase the horrible thoughts I keep having of what I want to do to that vile hanyou."

Nodding at him in understanding, I look back at my mate and his brother and raise an eyebrow at each. My meaning is perfectly clear to all that know me. I am demanding that they allow him to accompany us on our journey to gather the remaining shards and then confront Naraku. Sesshomaru snarls in outrage at such a request, but Inuyasha puts his hand under his chin in the pose I know means he is deep in thought. I wait for a few moments and then watch as he turns toward his brother. "If his abilities are as powerful as he says they are, then I am inclined to let him stay. He could be a powerful ally to have against Naraku, especially if Naraku approached him twice. Whatever Sasuki can do, is obviously what Naraku wants. I would rather him be on our side." My mouth hangs open in shock at this new Inuyasha. Apparently with his demon blood no longer being tainted, he gained some new attributes, such as not rushing into things before thinking first and actually having an intelligent thought. Closing my mouth quickly so that I don't drool on myself, I turn to Sesshomaru and await his decision. He is alpha of this pack and it is ultimately his decision about whether or not he will stay, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about his decision, regardless.

His expression is clearly disgusted, but upon closer inspection I can see that he too is thinking of the possibilities and his eventual usefulness. I smile pleadingly at him and then look quickly toward where Sango and Miroku are standing. Miroku has a thoughtful look on his face as well and Sango is looking at Sasuki with what looked to be something akin to mild distrust and something along the lines of understanding. Kohaku was probably coming to mind right about now. Walking toward them intent on getting their opinions, I look at each of them and ask, "What do you think? Should we let him stay?" Hoping against hope that they will agree to it because I know that he is a good demon and would never willingly hurt another person, be they demon or man, I hold my breath waiting for their answers. Turning to Miroku at the sound of his voice, I smile at him in thanks when I hear him say, "I believe he should be allowed to prove himself. He was obviously tricked by Naraku much like the rest of us and I cannot condemn him for something we have all fallen for in the past." Nodding in understanding, I turn to Sango and listen to her reply. "I have to agree with Miroku. I could never condemn someone for falling into one of Naraku's traps when I have fallen into them on more than one occasion. He seems to be repentant for what he tried to do and if you trust him then I have no reason not to do the same." Smiling happily in thanks, I quickly give her a hug and whisper a quiet thank you in her ear before finally turning back to Sesshomaru. He will be the one to decide, regardless of what every one of us thinks, but I am hoping that he will agree with the majority.

I walk slowly to his position and wait for the verdict patiently. You can never rush him into making any kind of decision, regardless of the urgency, but I am confident he will make the right choice. Nodding toward him in anticipation of his answer, he sighs dramatically and very un-Sesshomaru-like, before finally consenting to his presence within the pack. Glaring heatedly at their new member, he speaks quietly, intent on making his feelings known. "Listen well Sasuki. Kagome is my mate and these creatures before you are my pack. Should any one of them be hurt because of your actions in any way or the actions of someone you are in league with, I will make you suffer for it long after you beg for death. As of now, you too are a part of my pack and you will be treated as such, but should you betray any of us you will rue the day you fucked with me and mine."

Nodding his head in understanding, Sesshomaru turns away from the newest member of their pack. Growling under his breath, he takes a deep breath of air and then snarls as a familiar disgusting scent comes into range. Moving quickly, he grabs me and pushes me behind him before I can so much as ask what the hell is going on and then I watch in mute fascination as everyone comes to stand beside him, weapons drawn. Realization dawns when I hear the sickening voice of the vile hanyou we were just talking about and I look around Sesshomaru's large shoulders to see him in all his disgusting glory. He is surrounded by all his incarnations and I can't help the shiver of anticipation for a good fight that slinks up my spine. Flexing my fingers, I let my power pulse in warning and watch as Naraku's eyes gain a wariness they were lacking only moments before. Sesshomaru growls at me in agitation and I just look at him pointedly. He cannot keep me from participating in this battle and he knows it, besides, I am the only one powerful enough to destroy Naraku, not to mention the fact that I have to get close enough to gather some of his miasma. The only problem with that is I have no idea how I am going to contain some without purifying it in the first place. I will need to be extremely careful when I gather it and so I take a deep breath to steady my nerves and then step from behind Sesshomaru, much to his dismay.

Sango keeps her eyes carefully trained on Kohaku. She knows deep in her soul that he will never be the same, even if they can somehow keep him alive after the shard is removed from his back, but he is the only family she has left and it shatters her heart every time she sees him in the clutches of that vile beast. Regardless of her inner turmoil, she has decided to put a stop to the machinations of the evil cretin once and for all. No matter how much it will tear her up, she is determined to end the sadistic relationship between them, consequences be damned.

Miroku keeps his eyes trained on Hakudoushi. Ever since their last encounter when he tried to kill Sango with his three pronged pike and only barely missed his target, he has been determined to make him pay for all the suffering he has caused. The most disgusting part of it is that Hakudoushi enjoys watching people suffer and it is only enhanced when he is the cause, so naturally he was disappointed when he missed his chance at making Miroku suffer when he killed the demon slayer. Miroku knows that he will not stop until each and everyone of their pack is dead and so he has taken it upon himself to make Hakudoushi pay for all his wrongdoing. Grabbing a handful of sutras from his inner robes, he activates the spell to bind jyaki and paralyze it and then narrows his eyes. If he timed it perfectly, he could trap Hakudoushi and then make easy work of him. Nodding slightly, he readies himself for the battle to come.

Sasuki looks to the group standing before them and then looks quickly at each member of his new pack. The exterminator has her eyes trained on the boy child wearing similar exterminating garb in Naraku's group and he knows she has selected her target. Next, he looks to the monk and sees that his eyes are trained on the small silver haired child in Naraku's group with a look of determination on his face that clearly states he has chosen his opponent. Looking to Inuyasha, at least he thinks that is his name as he overheard it, he sees that his gaze is focused on the woman carrying a fan in her hand. He looks determined to take her on and so Sasuki once again trains his eyes on the remaining members of his group. Kagome and Sesshomaru are eyeing Naraku and because Sesshomaru is alpha of the pack it is his right and the right of his mate to fight the leader of their enemy. Turning his eyes on the only remaining opponent, he is disappointed when he sees it is the small girl child holding the mirror in front of her as if it is her life line. Taking a deep breath, he frowns at the way this is going, but refuses to back down. Normally he would never stoop so low as to hit a woman, or in this case a girl, but she is the only remaining target and he will make sure she pays for her crimes as well. But because she is a girl, he will make it quick, that being the only boon he will grant her. Steeling his resolve on the matter, he concentrates a moment before releasing his attack.

Sesshomaru looks to me quietly and his gaze seems to be calculating, almost as if he is sizing me up. I give him a look that says he is in for some serious trouble if he thinks that I am going to back down. I whisper to him quietly and tell him that he needs to trust me. He gives me an incredulous look and I feel my heart crack and I try not to let my face crumble in reaction, but my hurt shows and I quickly look away. I feel his arms go around me quickly, but I use my purifying energy to zap him away. He has just proven to me that there is nothing that can mend our relationship. I will need to think long and hard about our relationship tonight after this is all over. He quickly whispers in my ear that he is sorry, but it will take time for his trust to be restored in me, regardless of the circumstances, I still betrayed his trust and he reminded me that it had to be earned in the first place and that I would once again need to earn it. So, thinking on his words and knowing that regardless of how much they hurt, they are true, I turn in his embrace and whisper that I understand. I then tell him that I need him to trust me now because I need him to distract Naraku while I absorb some of his poison. He gives me a look that clearly says he is questioning my sanity and I shake my head and tell him that he needs to trust me because I haven't the time to explain, but that I will do so as soon as I can. He nods his head minutely and I turn back to our enemy. It has only been a minute or two since he arrived, but he is clearly bored, so I decide that for once, I will accommodate him. Gathering my reiki at my fingertips, I say with as much force as I can muster, "Are you ready to die Naraku? Because I can assure you that I am more than willing to accommodate you." Smirking at his dark look, I release a large energy ball in his direction and thus the battle begins.

Sango's P.O.V.

I release my hiraikotsu with deadly precision at all the oncoming legions of lower class demons and then release my sword from its sheath as Kohaku begins to make his way toward me. This is the day he will die. I will no longer let that vile creature control my brother, or I in his sadistic games. Steeling my resolve, I catch my hiraikotsu on its backward swing and release it again at the same time, I use my blade to block an attack from Kohaku's scythe and then push forward, intent on imbedding my sword in his stomach. He moves out of reach just before I would have pierced his flesh and then he releases his scythe once again.

I jump back and block his attack and then catch my hiraikotsu with ease. Moving into a new position, I steady myself and then launch an all out assault. Gritting my teeth at what I know is coming, I see him get into the same fighting stance we used to practice in when we were at the slayers village. A sense of dejavu overtakes me and I immediately mirror his movements. Attacking with a sense of finality, I parry his scythe easily and slice his shoulder when he retreats. He hisses in pain for only a moment and then drops his weapon of choice.

Unsheathing his sword, he charges me in an effort to make me unbalanced. I will not be deterred and a quick movement to the left and a swift jab, he retreats with another bleeding wound, this time on his opposite shoulder. If I have to take him piece by piece, so be it. He lunges again, and again I pierce him before he retreats. This isn't like him. He doesn't attack like this. He knows better, but it's almost like he knows that I have come to take his life and he is letting me do it. Steeling my resolve at the pang of remorse and hurt I feel in my heart, I lunge for him this time and he does not move away. It is as if everything slows down to a crawl. He stays perfectly still, almost as if he welcomes death. Trying desperately not to cry, I catch him as he falls when I pull my sword from his stomach. He does not make a sound and only grunts when he hits the ground. I sob as silently as I can and then kiss his forehead when I feel him draw his last breath. Turning him over when I get enough control over myself, I take out the shard embedded in his back and then with one last longing look, I release him. Lifting my eyes to the sky, I pray to the Kami to spare him the damnation his actions have awarded him. It was never his choice and I hope that they will take mercy on his soul. He has suffered enough.

Turning back to the fight, I look toward Miroku and watch in fascination as he fights without holding back.

Miroku's P.O.V.

As soon as Kagome releases her purifying energy, a massive amount of lower class youkai flood the clearing we occupy. I open my wind tunnel and smirk when half of them are sucked into the void. I immediately close it when Naraku's insects appear, but I have done enough damage. Smirking when I see Hakudoushi's scowl of contempt, I advance on him when I see Sango move toward Kohaku and raise my sutras and my staff, readying myself for the battle to come. Hakudoushi summons his pike and then lunges for me. I am ready for his attack and easily dodge it. Summoning some holy energy, I parry his pike with my staff and watch as his pike begins to sizzle as the jyaki within it is diminished. Swinging low he tries to take my legs out from under me, but I see it coming and immediately move out of range.

Thrusting my arm out, I release as many sutras as I can and watch as Hakudoushi erects a barrier at the last second. Cursing under my breath, I charge my staff in preparation to destroy is barrier so that he no longer has something to hide behind. He lunges for me again and I dodge it as quickly as I can, but not before he slashes my arm. I hiss in pain, but do not let it deter me. Thrusting my staff upwards, I smile when his barrier swiftly surrounds him and chuckle lowly when he starts to swear as the barrier weakens with each passing second. Once the barrier falls, I again throw as many sutras as I can and am disappointed when only two meet their mark; however, he can now no longer move his right arm or his left leg, leaving him at a distinct disadvantage.

He summons a large ball of energy and releases it from the tip of his pike and I dodge it hastily. Quickly getting to my feet, I charge my staff with as much holy energy that I can spare while still being able to charge my sutras and get ready to launch it into the air. Gathering a handful of sutras, I throw both them and my staff toward my enemy at the same time and watch as they hit their mark. He didn't even move out of the way. Apparently, he thought he would just regenerate, but he is sadly mistaken if he thinks that I didn't take that into consideration.

I watch as a look of horror overcomes his features. The sutras cover his body and he cannot move any part of himself. My staff charged with holy energy is sticking out of his chest and low and behold, his heart is right where it should be. Apparently, he thought that we were too weak to overcome him, so he placed his heart back in his chest. Something tells me that now he is wishing he hadn't been so over confident. I watch in fascination as little by little, he is purified from the inside out. He does not scream, but he hisses in pain for a few minutes until he is nothing but dust blowing on the wind.

Looking toward the others, I smile when Sango comes up behind me and wraps me in her embrace. Inuyasha is taking on Kagura while Kagome and Sesshomaru are circling Naraku.

Inuyasha P.O.V.

I stalk my prey and watch as she twirls her fan before her as though toying with me. She has a smirk on her face and all I can think is that it will be my pleasure to wipe it off. My heightened senses tell me that she is far inferior to me and I will use my advantage on her to gain the upper hand in battle. We continue to circle each other, neither of us making a move against the other. I flex my powerful claws and grin sadistically in her direction. It will be my pleasure to lick her blood from them.

Lunging toward her, I grit my teeth when I barely miss her and immediately turn around to claw her in half. She seems to be dancing around me as though she was using the wind to her advantage in this situation and then I realize that that is exactly what she is doing. Growling, I use my senses as I should have in the beginning and close my eyes. She is just toying with me because she thinks that I have only changed in appearance. She will be sorely mistaken and I will laugh over her corpse.

She calls her 'Dance of Blades' attack and I dodge with ease. Now that my senses are on full alert, her attacks seem feeble and weak. I wonder if I always had this power, or if I simply couldn't see it because I was too brash and irrational. Regardless of the reason, I push those thoughts away as I round on her and catch her in the arm with my claws. She shrieks in pain and anger and I chuckle darkly in response. I bring her blood to my lips and sample some on the end of my claws. A dark pleasure comes over me when I taste the wind on my tongue. She is a demoness that deserves the wind in her hair and all the freedom that comes with it and perhaps I will give her the chance to experience it. Her blood calls to me on a primal level. I have never felt this need to dominate and control a female before, but perhaps she will be the first. She is beautiful after all.

I pounce on her when she is unawares, still griping about her arm and looking at the wound, and her eyes widen in shock when I take a deep breath of her scent at her pulse. She takes in a shuddery breath all of the sudden and I smirk slightly. Whispering in her ear, I say, "If I get your heart back, will you come with me?" She looks at me in shock for a moment before looking extremely anxious and excited. She readily nods and then I quickly let her go. Before getting up I ask her where he keeps it and she tells me he keeps it in his robes so that he can taunt her with it at anytime. I nod and then get up. Once she is up again, I whisper that she needs to give a good show about fighting me until I can get closer to Naraku when he is distracted.

For a few minutes we continue to fight back and forth, unleashing different attacks and making look as if we are really battling, even going so far as to let her knick me in the arm as payback for my earlier attack and then the perfect distraction is all I need to lunge toward Naraku at the exact moment his attention is on both Sesshomaru and Kagome. I grab his robes and take him to the ground and in the process get my hands on Kagura's heart. I quickly hide it from his vision and remove myself from his person. I will need to bathe as soon as I am able to so that I can get his disgusting scent off my person. I will need to use Sesshomaru's personal hot springs, but I am sure he won't mind. I might even bring Kagura along. Grinning wickedly to myself, I turn quickly back to my wind witch and smile seductively.

She looks to me with bewilderment on her face before I can see the faint blush across her cheeks. I smile at her embarrassment and then walk slowly up to her. When I am only a breath away, I open my palm and watch her face light up in amazement when she sees her heart for the first time since she was born. She looks to me for a moment and I see the unshed tears in her eyes before she tentatively reaches out a hand to grab her heart. Finally gaining the courage to grab it, she picks it up carefully and immediately feels it begin to beat. Smiling faintly in relief, she puts it to her chest and lets the tears finally fall when she feels it beat for the first time in her chest, in her life.

She lifts her eyes to mine and I feel my heart skip a beat at the adoration and gratitude clearly showing on her face. She thanks me quietly and then hugs me with such enthusiasm that I can't help myself when my arms come around her body. She feels wonderful against my skin and then I quickly release her. I don't want Naraku to do anything when I just realized I have feelings for this wind sorceress, so I grab her hand and escort her across the clearing, where Sango and Miroku are sitting. They look at me as if I am crazy at first, but after I reassure them that Kagura now has her heart and wants nothing to do with Naraku and she confirms it, they reluctantly accept her company. Sesshomaru will have to accept her as well if I want to keep her for myself, but I believe he will once I explain about her having her heart and only doing his bidding all along because he held that over her head, threatening to extinguish her life if she didn't do as he said.

Turning to look at Sasuki, I wonder how he is fairing and see that it looks as if he is surprisingly holding his own.

Sasuki P.O.V.

I see that everyone has partnered up and that the only opponent left is the small girl child with the mirror and decide that I have no choice in the matter and although I would prefer not to hit a woman, or in this case a girl, I will do so because I know that she is a part of Naraku and that automatically means she is evil. So, steeling my resolve and readying myself for the fight to come because I know for a fact that looks can be deceiving, I gather my power and walk toward the little white haired child. She doesn't even look my way, but she does start to walk toward me.

Stopping when we are only a few feet apart, I gather my power and wait for her to make the first move. She moves her mirror so that it reflects off the light and then I am suddenly blinded. I turn away from my reflection and instead, launch my attack and watch as her eyes suddenly go wide. She can feel my incorporeal fingers probing her mind and she cannot do anything to stop me. I felt the pull on my soul when I looked into her mirror, but luckily, or purposefully I cannot say for sure, the suns glare distracted me from looking directly into her soul collecting mirror long enough to relieve me of my soul.

Taking full advantage of the distraction, anything to keep me from looking into her mirror, I do not hesitate to launch my attack when the mirror is turned away from me slightly to stop reflecting the suns glare so that she can use her attack and I concentrate with as much strength as I can. My soul leaves my body with the energy I have gathered to attack and I invade her body. I feel as her eyes go wide and her body immediately stiffens. I feel her pain at the sudden intrusion and her fear for whatever is to come and because I can also look into her memories, I do just that before launching my attack.

Searching for what seems like hours, I finally feel that I have memorized all the details her mind has to offer and then I launch my assault. I will not kill her because she does not have the ability to defy Naraku. If she does, he will kill her and Kagura, reabsorbing them into his body, never to be seen or heard from again. So, I basically paralyze her for an indefinite amount of time, but not before turning her mirror onto her master, hoping against hope that regardless of how evil he is, he still possesses a soul and can be subject to her powers as well.

Removing myself from her void-like essence, I reenter my body and breathe a large sigh of relief. Being in her body for such a long period of time is not something that I wish to ever experience again. She feels next to nothing aside from the occasional bout of fear or pain and it was so much different than himself that it was scary. Turning to see if my attack worked and Naraku was dead, I am displeased to see that he is nowhere near where he was a moment ago and therefore is not in the line of sight for her mirror, but if Kagome and Sesshomaru can somehow get him in the exact spot he was only a minute before then her attack should work. Quickly moving to Sesshomaru's side, I whisper of my plan and a quick nod from him is all I need before I move to where the others are sitting to the side of the clearing. Apparently, they have all decided that this is Kagome's and Sesshomaru's fight, feeling that everyone has already contributed to the battle. Agreeing with their logic, I stand beside the monk and Inuyasha and await the outcome of this battle with battle trained eyes.

Kagome's P.O.V.

I see Naraku move sharply to the left and I form a javelin out of my reiki and launch it at him with the confidence of an Olympic medalist. I happen to be a fabulous shot when it comes to throwing the javelin and am proud when it hits him squarely in the chest. My joy quickly loses its enthusiasm however, when I see him quickly begin to regenerate, regardless of the fact that he was just hit with a massive jolt of purifying energy. I growl lowly in disgust under my breath and then turn to my mate. He too is looking upon what has become of Naraku in disgust. I happen to agree with him and refuse to believe that he cannot be killed, so I once again gather forth some power.

Forming it into a large ball of energy, I am determined to make him scream in pain as I purify him from the inside out, so concentrating, I feel the Shikon, nearly completed, in his chest, just above where his heart should be. Knowing that the Shikon is inherently good and is only tainted because of the company it is currently keeping, I focus my energy into a tight knit weave of reiki, making this ball of energy much more powerful. Looking toward Sesshomaru, I nod in Naraku's direction and he immediately unsheathes his sword, Tokijin and charges the hanyou, intent on distracting him long enough to let his mate hopefully put an end to his evil.

Sesshomaru cuts off every tentacle thrust his way, determined to kill Naraku, one piece at a time if need be and blocking other body parts he has gained since the last time he was seen. He now has two large what look like scorpion tails attached to his back, as well as some interesting additions to his legs. He seems to have plant like vines that sprout from his legs, but that isn't what's so interesting about them. It looks as though anything they touch begins to shrivel and die. It isn't until Sesshomaru cuts one off and it comes flying awfully close to me that I see it has properties of acid. Whatever it secretes begins to eat away anything it comes into contact with. A most disgusting thought if you think about it.

Sesshomaru continues to push Naraku back for a few minutes and only then do I realize that throughout this whole ordeal, Naraku hasn't put up his barrier, not once. Becoming increasingly worried about this sudden epiphany, I call to my mate and telepathically tell him of my worries. His eyes go wide when he realizes that that small detail had never even crossed his mind. Becoming suddenly wary of the sly grin on Naraku's face, he jumps back just it time not to be crushed by the force of it coming around Naraku's form. Growling under his breath, he moves into attack position and shouts, "Dragon Strike," and I watch as his blue dragon makes small work of the barrier Naraku has formed around himself and at the last second, I launch my own attack, determined to gain the Shikon and purify it before the screams of agony coming from it get any louder.

I have never told anyone this, but I have always heard the Shikon in my thoughts. Midoriko has always been another voice in my head. She is a confidant and friend and has been ever since the jewel was forced from my body. Ever since then and even after I broke it, I could hear Midoriko each time I gathered another shard. She would tell me who had taken possession of the shard before I found it and everything she felt and anything else she could think of that would help me in my quest to put the jewel back together.

My energy ball collides with Naraku in one powerful burst of energy and it is so bright I almost cover my eyes, but I refuse to miss his destruction, so I grit my teeth through the pain and continue to watch as the power dies down. When the dust cloud clears, I look upon the scene and am disgusted to see that he is still alive, however, I am proud to say that he is in pieces, which is unfortunately not a new occurrence for him, but I run toward him at breakneck speeds, regardless of the consequences because I need to free Midoriko. She is in so much pain right now because of all the evil and hate she is being subjected to; I cannot bear to hear her screams of agony any longer.

Darting forward, I thrust my hand into the puddle of Naraku and begin to sift through it. While I am searching for the jewel, I gather some of his poison with my powers and keep in encased in a small bubble of power within me, until such a time as I need it. He begins to howl in rage and pain, but I will not be deterred. I have added some purifying energy to make the experience all that more unforgettable and am triumphant when my hand finally grasps the jewel. I yank it forcefully from his body and immediately begin to purify it. I can hear Midoriko crying in relief at my presence and I can actually feel her gratefulness.

Quickly moving away from the puddle that is reforming into Naraku, although not nearly as fast as usual without the added power from the jewel, his curses his rage that can be clearly felt as he finishes putting his body back together, glaring furiously in my direction. He screams at me, demanding the jewel back, his voice dripping venom and I can only smirk at him, denying his request with relish. He is so angry that his eyes, already blood red, begin to pulse with the power of is aura, now much weaker than when we first arrived. I can hear the screams of joy from our friends as they see me holding the purified jewel piece, which is almost whole, save a few shards somewhere out there, and I cannot help the smile that lights my face.

Suddenly, Koga appears out of nowhere and I can only watch as one second Naraku is standing within a few feet of me and then his long poisonous vines whip through the air and take Koga's legs right out from under him. He screams in pain as his legs begin to melt as the poison of the vines takes effect and then Naraku rips them out before immediately taking flight. He cannot possibly win now, but there are still jewel shards out there. I can only assume he is now going to go and collect all that are left and hope he still has a chance once they are all in either his possession or mine.

Turning to Koga, I run to him with sympathy and pain in my eyes as I watch his legs continue to melt. I run my hands, gifted with my reiki over them and am relieved when his legs suddenly begin to heal. His howls of pain slowly die out and then my mate is beside me, looking very proud of me and I cannot help the blush that overtakes me. He never compliments, but the look on his face is more than enough. I smile shyly at him and then look at my patient as he begins to stir. He looks to me for a moment and then shakes his head as if he is trying to clear his head and then smiles at me in thanks for helping him heal much faster than he would have otherwise.

Once I am satisfied that he will be able to walk within a few minutes, I get up and move toward my friends. Sango is quick to embrace me and I do the same. She is so excited and why shouldn't she be? We just had a great victory over Naraku and although he isn't dead, he is much weaker than he was earlier today. Smiling toward Miroku, I nod in thanks at his praise and then turn toward Inuyasha. He is staying by Kagura, as if afraid to let her go because she will fly away or we will banish her. I smile hesitantly in both their directions and am rewarded when they both come to stand beside me. Inuyasha quickly embraces me and says a quiet 'congratulations' before looking at me pleadingly. I know what he wants.

He wants me to accept Kagura. I smile at him and then glance toward her with a hesitant look on my face. She is looking for all the world like a deer caught in headlights. She is not afraid, that wouldn't suit her, but she is very uncomfortable because at one time or another, she has tried to kill us all, but I push that all aside and walk so that I am just inches from her. She looks surprised at first, but then more bewildered than anything when I ask her if she finally has her heart back. With a quick nod of her head as my answer, I ask her the one question that will decide whether or not she will become pack. "Will you ever go back to Naraku? And if he calls for you, will you come?" She looks at me for a second before replying with so much conviction that I believe her without reservation. "That vile monster kept me a prisoner for as long as I can remember. Whenever he was angry, he took it out on me, squeezing the life out of me and getting a sadistic pleasure from seeing my pain. I have hated that cretin for as long as I can remember and now that he has nothing to hold over me, the next time I see him, I would love to pay him back for all the pain he has caused. Besides, I need to get Kanna away from him. She can't help following him anymore than I could. If she betrays him he will absorb her like he has threatened to do to all of us on more than one occasion. I swear to you now, that I will always be in your debt and that I will spend my life trying to repay you."

Everything that needed to be said to make me believe her has been said and I embrace her like a long lost friend. She stiffens immediately, but then hesitantly wraps her arms around me as well. Smiling when I release her, I welcome her to the pack and call her my sister. She smiles shyly at me for a minute and then she comes face to face with Sesshomaru. Her smile fades instantly and she almost looks afraid for second, but her pride is almost as big as Sesshomaru's, so she stiffens her back and straightens her shoulders, lifting her head and looking him right in the eyes. He narrows his eyes for a few moments and then welcomes her into the pack as well. He doesn't seem to have a choice, considering the way Inuyasha has taken to her and also the belief Kagome holds in her. Nodding her head in thanks, he turns away from her and comes to stand in front of me. I smile at him for a moment and then ask if we can speak in private. He nods slightly and we turn to walk the few minutes to the stream not far from this very clearing. There are some things that I need to tell him and we need to start giving him small doses of Naraku's miasma immediately, so we can make sure that he is around for many years to come.

We arrive at the stream a few minutes later and we sit on the bank. I am in his lap and he is gently stroking my hair only a moment later and I sigh happily before relaxing into his embrace. Gathering the words in my head so that I can say all that needs to be said, I turn slowly in his arms and look at his face. He is so beautiful that I lose my breath at the site of him. My heart beat starts to race and my breathing gets shallow. He smirks at me and his eyebrow rises at me in question, but before I can say anything, I take matters into my own hands. It has been too long since I felt him inside me, regardless of our dreamscape and I can't help the way he makes me feel. I crush our lips together in a passionate kiss and he groans loudly at the rough caress. He thrusts his tongue into my mouth and I moan loudly at the feel of it stroking mine. I practically rip his haori in my haste to feel his skin and he chuckles darkly at my impatience, but complies with my wishes and then I am finally stroking his skin with my needy caresses. His skin is on fire and I can't seem to get enough air in my lungs, but I refuse to stop. I can't seem to get enough of him.

He quickly removes my shirt and bra, having learned how to remove them after I screamed the last time he sliced it off. He lowers his head to take a nipple in his mouth and I groan at the feel of his rough tongue making love to my breast. I arch my back in want and am rewarded when he takes more of me into his mouth. A flood of warmth low in my belly travels down to soak my panties and he growls approvingly at my reaction and I moan again as he roughly bites my nipple before releasing it to take the other one into his mouth. Losing myself in his arms, I weave my hands into his hair and pull him closer to me.

Rubbing my legs together when I can feel my sex throbbing in need of my love and in desperate need of release, I nearly swoon when I feel his hand push its way into my panties and deep into the folds of my heat. I buck into his hand wantonly and he growls his approval once again. I smile and moan at the same time and them I feel his thumb on my clit and I buck so hard I think my back will break. I cum hard, all over his hand and he takes it out of my heat to look me directly in the eye as he licks his fingers clean. I feel more of my fluids rush to my already soaked panties at that and nearly moan at the sight of him. Quickly removing my hands from his hair, I make quick work of his hakama and drop them to the ground to stare at his well endowed arousal, staring right at me.

I lick the tip on impulse and his fierce growl of pleasure causes my insides to clench again in want. I take him into my mouth and suck with as much suction as I can, while fondling his sac. He begins to thrust into my mouth, growling his pleasure, hands fisted in my hair. His eyes are bleeding red and his control is slipping with all the pleasure his bitch is bestowing upon him, but he cannot help it. Swirling my head around his tip and nipping it with vigor, he thrusts deeply into my mouth and if I hadn't been prepared for it I might have choked. I nip him again and again and then all of the sudden, he roars his delight and I take him all into my mouth, sucking him hard until I have swallowed every last drop.

He is panting and his eyes are now ruby red, but he has a wicked grin on his face and I immediately begin to tremble in want of him. He lays me down on his clothes and then roughly slams his lips to mine. I moan in pleasure at his treatment and then nearly scream when he impales me roughly as well. Bucking hard against him, I groan loudly as he thrusts into me with such force I feel him hit my womb. The feeling is something I have never felt before and I am left shaking and panting. He continues to thrust deeply into me and then suddenly he hits the perfect spot and I am left screaming my release as stars burst before my vision. My muscles clench hard like a steel vice and he immediately falls over the edge, roaring his conquest to the world.

We lay like that for a few minutes, content in each other's arms and then we slowly begin to move. We rinse off in the stream a few minutes later and then dress. Once finished, we sit again and I begin to tell him about everything that I learned while I was training with Celine. He listens intently to everything I say and his shocked expression when I tell him about who she really was and why she was really here is something he does not take well. Eventually he calms down enough that I tell him about our plan to cure him in the future and make him immune now. He looks at me quizzically for a moment and then nods his head.

Once I am satisfied that he will allow me to do this so he will not die on me anytime soon, I open my arms and bring forth the ball of energy I have contained Naraku's miasma in. Closing my eyes, I enter my inner sanctum and call for Celine. She appears within moments and then smiles brightly when she spots the miasma within my hands. She immediately closes her hands around mine and tells me to focus my power. She tells me quietly that I need to channel my reiki into her and then she will begin to mold the miasma into the poison that will eventually heal Sesshomaru. Hours pass in my inner sanctum before the spell and the poison is finished, but it has only been a few minutes outside and for that I am grateful. Nodding my head at her one last time, I bid her farewell and tell her I hope all works out for her future. She tells me much the same and we embrace tightly once before she slowly begins to fade.

Opening my eyes, I look into Sesshomaru's amber gaze and smile as I bring forth a vial of green toxic poison and Sesshomaru stares at it in shock for a moment and then nods again. Bracing himself, I allow some of the poison gathered to escape from its prison where it is immediately inhaled by Sesshomaru. He breathes deeply of the poison and I allow the power to flow back into me where I am keeping it until it is needed again. He begins to stiffen and shake as though he is having a seizure and I grab him and hold him tight, whispering soft words of comfort and love until he begins to relax. His eyes are blazing ruby once again and he is panting harshly in the fading light, but he seems to be fine aside from that. I rest with him by the stream for over an hour, desperately trying to give him enough time to accustom himself to the poison flowing through his veins. He drifts off soon after and I stay by his side, gently stoking his hair and keeping watch. I will protect him in his hour of need. I surround us in a barrier that cannot be broken by anyone other than me and let my mind begin to wander.

A few hours later, I am slowly starting to drift off when I hear the screams of Midoriko in my head.

Alright everyone, that is going to do it for this chapter. I made it extra long this time because of everyone's support. Although it isn't nearly what I hoped for, I am grateful for the support I do have for this fic and this is the reward for all your encouraging words. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the lemon especially. Please review and tell me what you think. As always, thank you for joining me on this adventure and I hope you join me for the next installment.

Ja.


	9. Chapter 9

Alright everyone, here is the next installment of Soul Consumption. I know it's been a while, but I have been having problems trying to get my ideas under control and in some semblance of order to no avail for a while now and I have just reined them in, so here is the result. I hope you enjoy it and please review to let me know.

As always, thanks go to Sada and Wiccan for their help with this story thus far. I know that, without their help, this story would be nothing. So to you, my muses, thank you all for your encouragements and I will always be in your debt. Much love to you and yours.

To my cousin Diana, your contributions to this story have been great. I could never express in words how much your help means to me. Your encouragements and ideas are what kept me going in those dark times that had me almost giving up. To you, I give you all the love and gratitude I can and hope that it is enough.

Soul Consumption

Chapter 9

Passion Ignited and Power Shifts

Inuyasha P.O.V.

I stand before the battlefield in shock. All that continues to replay through my thoughts is that we actually damaged Naraku severely and killed all but one of his lackeys. We almost defeated him outright! I still can't seem to wrap my mind around the concept that Kagome has an almost complete jewel in her hand, save what looks to be five shards. There are no words that can express the excitement and pride that swirl through me at this exact moment. In fact, had he not run with his tail between his legs like the coward he is, I know he would be dead right now. That thought makes the beast in me purr in his excitement; thrilled that, someday soon, it will be bathing in the blood of the vile hanyou that has tormented us for the better part of a century. Granted, I slept half of that century on a freakin' tree, but I was still tormented regardless.

Shaking my head, I tried to get rid of thoughts from the past, hoping that there would soon be something to look forward to. I hesitantly look to my left and meet the eyes of the wind witch, who now has her heart and is a sister in our pack. Of course, she might be just a sister for now, but I hope to remedy that within the next few days, if I play my cardboard right. Wait, no! That isn't right; what did Kagome tell me? How does that saying go? Oh, whatever, at least I know what I am trying to say. If all goes well, I may have a mate in the near future, maybe even now. Gathering what little courage I have in the face of potential lovers, I approach my new sister, hoping to the Kami that I am not the only one that feels the attraction between us, and since I am usually the dense one.

As I slowly approach her, she turns to me with little effort and her eyes shine with something I have never seen in them before. They are so bright and vibrant at the moment that I nearly lose my breath. She looks so different without that permanent scowl on her face. Stopping only inches from her, I smile a little shyly and I am amazed when her whole face lights up with a brilliant smile. Trying to shake off my stupor at this whole new side of Kagura, one which I am dying to figure out, I clear my throat and speak tentatively. "Kagura, would you like to accompany me on a walk through the forest? Perhaps to the spring near here, so you can freshen up?" Nearly scowling when I realize how stupid I must sound, trying to talk like Miroku, suave and debonair with the ladies-I nearly fall over when she blushes becomingly, then quietly accepts my proposal.

Smiling ear to ear, I offer my arm to her and she accepts again. My pride is being thoroughly stroked at the moment and I can't help the growl of approval that leaves me when she begins to lightly brush my arm with her fingers, almost absentmindedly, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do. Leaving the site of our battle, which ended not ten minutes before, we make good time to the stream. In less than fifteen minutes, we come upon a stream with a large swell off to the left that has very little current; it looks more like a spring in itself. There is a low hanging branch just above the swell that looks to be the perfect perch for someone to dangle their feet in the water. A cool refreshing soak for your feet on a hot summer day. Kagura sighs for a moment before taking off her slippers and removing the outer layer of her kimono. She jumps to the low hanging branch and practically moans in delight when her feet hit the water. It is the perfect temperature.

I watch her feet lightly moving in the cool stream and see the delicate arches, the dainty ankles that turn into small calves, toned thighs, the swell of her ass with slight flare of her hips, the small waist and, perched above it, pert breasts; that perfectly delicious neck, determined chin, and luscious lips that match her ruby eyes. All these things I see in one sweep of her figure and the only thing I can think, at this moment, is that I want to taste her. Her scent is of the very wind itself. One breath can be the lush forests and any given wild flower, the next it can be the streams and the ocean. She smells of nature and the normally vile scent of the hanyou ingrained within is gone, leaving only her natural delicious fragrance which, even without her knowledge, is seducing me. I feel my feet begin to move of their own accord, although my mind doesn't seem to catch up until I am standing just behind her; her back is now completely rigid, where moments ago it was relaxed and she was humming to herself.

I almost turn away, feeling as though her reaction is a rejection to my advances, then I hear her heart beating rapidly in her chest. A deep breath of her scent tells me, however, that she is anxious and nervous, not rejecting me. So, taking the initiative, I put my arm around her middle and slide her off the low hanging branch, into my embrace. She gasps in surprise but, before she can say anything, my mouth comes crashing down on hers. My kiss is possessive and dominant, lusting and needy, all the things a kiss should be. When she begins to respond in earnest to me, I feel my heart start pounding so loudly that it drowns out all other sounds, but I don't care as I feel her tongue brush mine in a heated caress. All thought leaves me as her hands begin to stroke my body in a searing path of want and desire. She moans into my mouth as my hand finds a pert breast and, when the nipple pebbles underneath, my clawed hand begins to pinch, tweak, turn and roll it until I can smell her desire spike one hundredfold. Using my other hand to make short work of the ties on her under kimono, I spread the folds and gaze upon her beauty as I break the kiss.

I have never seen a woman more beautiful than she. I whisper, "Beautiful," without even realizing I have opened my mouth, until she begins to untie what is holding my skin from hers. Smirking at her hasty attempt to disrobe me, I move her hands to where they will be most useful, mostly on my chest, as well as other aching places, and untie my hakama myself, undressing in half the time it would have taken her. Her gasp of surprise has me pausing in my actions and I look worriedly into her face. Did I do something wrong? Does she not want to do this? She shakes her head for a second, as if to clear the haziness from her mind, then speaks. "I'm sorry Inuyasha, I was just surprised at your physique. I always thought you were, well, lanky- no offense. But you are all muscle and strength. I just wasn't expecting it. I hope you're not mad." She looks down suddenly as if I would be angry that she thought I was lanky; actually, though, I'm quite pleased at her response. To know that she likes my new physique, now that my demon and I have become one, is very gratifying. Smiling wickedly, I pounce on my unsuspecting victim, laying her down on top of our clothes.

I begin to memorize her body; first with my eyes, then my hands and, finally, my tongue. She is moaning her pleasure; I can feel myself getting harder and harder with each sound she makes. Her hands are never dormant, constantly searing their way across my body. There is no part of me she leaves untouched. Finally I spread her legs and follow my nose to where her scent is so strong I am dizzy from it. She whimpers for a second and I again think she has changed her mind, then she whispers, "No one has ever done this to me before." I look at her in shock, then I can't help the smile that lights my face. I will be her first in this and, if things go my way, her last as well.

Spreading her legs to my eyes, I take a deep breath of her scent and growl approvingly as I see her dripping core. She is ready now, but I want to do this for her. I can almost bet that Naraku raped her a time or two and that she has never really had any pleasurable sexual experiences; and I intend to remedy that. So, taking another deep breath of her heady scent, my mind shuts down completely. I feel my cock get so hard, so fast, it pains me and I drag my tongue from her dripping core to her bundle of nerves, her moans of ecstasy echoing in my ears, driving me on. Paying special attention to her clit, because it gives me the most response from her, I finger her core with vigor for added stimulation and she bucks wildly beneath me. Her moans get louder and louder and I add another finger to her core at the same time that I take her clit into my mouth and suckle. She screams her release so suddenly that my head is caught between her legs as she convulses beneath me and her passion floods my mouth. I nearly cum at the taste of her orgasm, but hold myself back for what comes next. She slowly begins to relax, and then finally releases her death grip on my hair, laying back on the ground with a dazed, satisfied look on her face.

I slowly crawl up her body, paying special attention to her sides, which I was delighted to discover are ticklish, then move to pay homage to her breasts before finally coming to her face. She smiles so brightly that I can't help smiling back. She then whispers in my ear, "That was my first orgasm. I never dreamed it could be so wonderful." I scowl slightly at her response because I now know that she was raped many times and Naraku never took the care to pleasure her. Just another reason to kill that vile bastard but, closing my mind to these unpleasant thoughts, I bring her face to mine in a sensuous kiss while she grabs my arousal in her palms. She begins to stroke me, adding pressure when I groan especially loud, then she places my cock just outside her core. She nods her head, silently asking me to enter her so she can finally have a pleasurable experience with sex and I gladly grant her wish. Thrusting deeply into her, I am delighted to feel that she is still exquisitely tight; I groan in need when she bucks her hips into my forward thrust and I hit her womb. Our moans of pleasure get louder and louder and she meets me thrust for thrust, enjoying our encounter and participating with vigor. She scratches my back so hard she leaves welts and I howl my pleasure before biting her nipple so hard I draw blood. She groans loudly in response and wraps her legs around my waist to take me deeper into her delicious body. Her heat is overwhelming, the scorching feeling she is surrounding me in is the most painful pleasure I have ever experienced. Growling loudly when she bucks her hips so hard that I nearly dislodge her womb, she screams her release suddenly, that being all that was needed to set her off, and she milks me for all I'm worth. Howling to the heavens that I have been sated by my soon-to-be mate, we both collapse in a heap on the clothes beneath us. I wrap her in my arms and smile slightly when I realize she passed out when she released. Sending my aura out into the surrounding woods, feeling no threatening energy, I take my outer haori and drape it over us, then fall into an exhausted sleep.

At the same time, in another clearing similar to this one but on the opposite side of the forest, there is another couple in a heated embrace. One has long brown hair tied into a high ponytail and is wearing an exterminator outfit that hugs her luscious curves. The other is a man in purple monk's robes, his staff laying haphazardly a few feet away. The woman is busy trying to disrobe the man she is straddling; her moans of delight can be heard throughout the clearing as he thrusts his hips into hers with enough force to hit a sensitive spot that sends her reeling with each touch. The monk is also busy with the ties to her outfit, desperate to feel her heated skin against his own. The heady musk of her arousal, combined with the definite celebratory air from their earlier victory, adds a delicious bonus to their already desperate coupling, and has both of them practically ripping each other's clothes off.

Miroku P.O.V.

I finally loosen the last tie to her outfit and begin to peel it away from her delicate skin. I hear her sigh of delight as she shivers in the cool night air, then I, too, feel the cool brush of the slight wind blowing through the clearing we occupy when she removes my robes. Now we lay naked, save for the undergarments that Kagome bought her, then I quickly remove the last barrier between her and I. Sango is beautiful in the moonlight, as it bathes her in its warm glow, nearly taking my breath away. She turns to me, slowly running her hands across my chest and down my stomach, my muscles twitching with the heated caress. Groaning my pleasure when she finally grasps my arousal tightly in her palm and begins to slowly stroke me, I lie back on the ground, not hesitating to voice my pleasure in front of my love. She has told me, more than once, that she wants to hear my pleasure or I will not be allowed to touch her in return. Thus, I let go my inhibitions and loudly voice every pleasure she gives to me; with her gladly returning the favors when she is satisfied that I will not suppress my expressions of pleasure at her hand.

She continues to stroke my cock until it is as hard as it has ever been and I am aching in my need for her. Taking the initiative, I quickly sit up and pull her into my arms. Her legs wrap around my hips and, as I begin to thrust my hips near her aching heat, I brush against her clit with every stroke and she begins to move her hips with me, moaning her pleasure as I groan mine. I move one hand to her breast and begin to tease her nipple into an aching peak as she arches against me in obvious want. I groan at the erotic sight she makes, but continue my caress. I move the other hand to her dripping heat and begin to caress and stroke her clit, before thrusting two fingers deep in her core. She cries out in response and bucks her hips wildly against the intrusion. Harder and harder, I thrust my fingers into her and she continues to arch her back, and bucking her hips in wild abandon. Finally, my aching cock can take no more and I replace my fingers with my swollen length. She stiffens slightly at the larger intrusion, then begins to meet me thrust for thrust. Each thrust longer and harder than the last, she begins to pull and tweak her own nipples. To help her along, since I am much closer to my release than normal due to her delicious caresses, I begin to flick her clit with vigor and her thrusts become urgent, her moans becoming near screams. I feel the coil deep within me begin to snap and I groan so loudly I think my throat will be hoarse, then her clenching heat tries to swallow me whole and I can take no more of the exquisite pain. I nearly howl my release as she continues to thrust and moan. Only a moment later, with one deep thrust, she practically screams her release. Rocking back and forth on top of me, she is truly a sight to behold. A few seconds later, she collapses onto our blankets, with my arms still wrapped around her, as we both sigh our contentment to the world.

Not even five minutes have passed, when a fur-covered, little, bushy-tailed fox bounds through the brush surrounding us and into Sango's unsuspecting arms. She squeals in surprise and shock for a moment, startling me into waking until I realize what is bothering her. Grabbing Shippo by the scruff of his tail, I lift him off of Sango enough so that she can quickly dress herself, all the while averting the little runt's eyes so he doesn't see anything he shouldn't at such a young age. When she is done dressing, I toss the squealing fox into her arms so that I, too, can dress. I slip into my robes as quickly as I can, while still being slightly groggy from the lack of rest after such a lovely evening. Scowling once I am decent, I grab the struggling fox and, with one look, he stops squirming. "What is it that we can do for you at this hour Shippo? And where is Kagome? Shouldn't you be with her and in bed right now?"

Once the words are out of my mouth, I immediately regret them, because his little green eyes fill with tears and he starts to sob uncontrollably. Looking to Sango with a fearful and confused face, she grabs him quickly and wraps her arms around him, whispering comforting words in his little ears until he calms down enough to tell us what is bothering him. I already have a bad feeling about this; one look at Sango tells me the same thing. When Shippo finally looks us both in the eyes, I feel a shiver of dread and foreboding come over me. He speaks very quietly. "I couldn't find Kagura and Inuyasha anywhere and, when I finally found Kagome and Sesshomaru, he was unconscious and she was holding her head in pain, rocking back and forth. I tried to get her to talk to me, but I don't think she heard a word I said. That is when I left her to try and find you. I don't know what to do! I am just a kid, but I do know that there is something wrong with Kagome. Please, come with me. Help her!"

We both nod quickly and ask him to lead us to her. It takes almost twenty minutes, dodging low-hanging tree branches, the thorns of the hanging vines, and the high-grown underbrush. Both Sango and I stumble at least twice, but we push forward, adrenaline and worry singing in our veins. We finally break through the thick foliage around us and into a clearing, near a stream. There is a strong barrier surrounding both Kagome and Sesshomaru. He is just as Shippo described him, out cold. Kagome looks to be in a massive amount of pain and she doesn't seem to hear anything that we try to say. Yelling as loud as I can, I do my best to get her attention. "Kagome! Can you hear me?! It's Miroku and Sango! Shippo is here to and he is really worried about his mom right now! Can you hear me?" No response is forthcoming and the worry in Sango's eyes is getting much more dire desperate. I feel the only thing that I can do is use a sutra to break the barrier around Kagome and Sesshomaru. Then, maybe, Sango can shake Kagome into awareness but, before we can do anything, something unexpected happens. Kagome suddenly lifts herself into a sitting position. Removing her hands from the desperate grip they have on her head, she lifts her eyes to each of us standing on the outside of the barrier. Recognition barely shows in them before she is once again bent over and screaming in agony. There is nothing I can do for her. Already having tried to take down her barrier, I am thoroughly confused when I feel her power level. She is much more powerful than she was when I left this camp. She must have been training non-stop, and more, to be this powerful in such a short amount of time. Giving Sango a helpless look, I silently convey that we can do nothing but wait, hoping that she will come to her senses and remove the barrier. Until then, we will stand guard and pray that she will return to us whole. Perhaps Sesshomaru can ease her pain when he wakes from his deep slumber.

Naraku's Hideout

Miles away in the Northern Lands, in a dark castle surrounded by the fabled "Haunted Forest of Mankousi," a disgruntled hanyou broods darkly. His pride in tatters from his horrible defeat at the hands of the Inu-tachi, his mood leaves something to be desired, but he doesn't pay any mind to the emotionless void sitting across from him with her mirror in hand. Kanna says not a word, watching her master and creator growling dangerously at his extreme loss during today's events. A small smile grows on her face for the first time in her short life. She is suddenly happy he has been defeated, happy her sister is finally free of him, and happy that she, too, will be free of him. Much sooner than he thinks, she muses darkly.

Suddenly, her mirror begins to glow a bright white; the growls and grumbles of Naraku fade as he gazes upon the figure within. She is the one that resurrected him, brought him back from death, and bound his allegiance, for a couple of reasons. For one, simply because she was far too powerful for him to defeat alone; for another, if he displeased her, as he had been warned, he would be dead again, for she had power over both life and death and did not care what he did, so long as he killed the Inu-tachi-once and for all. Unfortunately, she was bound to know about his utter failure today and he cringed suddenly at the thought of her punishment. His body was still in pieces from today's assault, so he couldn't hope to defend himself. Not that he would have had a chance even if he was whole, but then he could at least die in one piece, if he was lucky.

Growling lowly, he slowly approaches the mirror that Kanna is now holding so that it shines brightly into his face, giving him a perfect view of his mistress. Her dark penetrating eyes are what draw him. They hold much wisdom and power, and it is the power that calls to him, screaming at him to possess it, but now is not the time. Since she currently holds the key to his life or death, he keeps his dominating thoughts to himself and waits for the powerful being that summoned him to speak. He doesn't have to wait long.

"Naraku, I am disappointed. You told me that you could not fail in your plan and yet, here you are, wallowing in your failure. What do you have to say for yourself? And, more importantly, what reason do I have to keep you alive any longer? All your incarnations, save one, are dead or traitors, and you lie in pieces on the floor."

Shuddering at the threat she so nicely wove into her long winded speech, he growls under his breath and decides that enough is enough. "Listen here, wench, you might have brought me back to life, but I didn't ask you to. Furthermore, you told me that I was to destroy the Inu-tachi and I have been doing that very carefully for many years now. That part of the plan has always been in motion with different well laid traps, but, with all of my resources either dead or turned traitor, the years of planning are for naught. Kanna is not exactly the key to victory on our part, so you have two choices. You can either let me do things the way I have always done them and be extremely patient, because my plots always take much time to develop to perfection, or you can offer your resources to the cause that you, in yourself, have a keen interest in and help me to defeat the band of misfits in one fell swoop of destruction. The decision seems quite obvious to me, considering your lack of patience and demands for their blood."

His red eyes gaze into her dark penetrating stare and he nearly growls in frustration when he cannot read them. He has always prided himself on being able to read people's faces, paying special attention to their eyes, but hers are completely closed off, no emotions slipping through, much like the damn demon lord h despises. He is completely unaware of her thoughts and it infuriates him to no end, so grudgingly, he waits for her to speak with baited breath. He knows he is skating on thin ice, but he doesn't have much choice in the matter. Now that he and Kanna are the only ones left in his family of incarnations, he is severely devoid of the usual lackeys to do his bidding. If his so-called 'mistress' didn't agree to help him, he didn't know what he would do.

"You are dangerously close to making me angry hanyou. Should you do anything to further incite my ire, you will not live long enough to regret it. For now, however, it is in my best interest to allow you some of my power so that you may use it to destroy the miko and her followers. Make them suffer to their last breaths and I will reward you accordingly. Fail me again, and your screams will be heard in all four corners of the land."

Nodding his head in perfect understanding, at her threat and her words, he holds one hand closer to the mirror and is delighted when it is encased in her brilliantly blinding power. Groaning at the ecstasy of her explosive energy flowing through his veins, he sits back on the large pillows surrounding him and begins to form a new plan of attack, paying special attention to the traitor he would either kill or capture, depending on the circumstances. Should she fall into his hands once again, she will rue the day she fucked with him.

Also, knowing that this is only a taste of the power the woman in the mirror holds, he begins to plan as many ways as possible to possess her by any means necessary. If he could get his hands on her power, he would have no need of the Shikon no Tama any longer, but, until such a time as that, he would hold close the remaining five shards. Now that the miko Kagome had the rest of the jewel, he also had to take into account her increased power and somehow try to wrench that piece of the jewel away from her. If he could acquire it, he would be the most powerful demon in the world, with a woman on his arm that rivaled his own power. No one would oppose them. They would rule the world, just like he always wanted. His eyes become large as he thinks of all the things he could do and he begins to daydream over the screams of his enemies and his victims. Pain and fear were such sweet addicting sounds and the smell was simply divine. Perhaps there was merit in this line of thinking after all. Smirking darkly, he let himself drift off to sleep with the pleasant screams of his past victims singing a particularly dark lullaby in his ears.

Alright everyone, that is gonna do it for this chapter. I know that it's short, but I am in the middle of editing this story so that I don't have to worry about it later. There are approximately only two or three chapters left of this story, so please stick with me and let me know what you think. Also, I think that this chapter in particular explained a lot of the questions I have been asked about this story so far. Especially, the killing of Naraku. As I said in my last author's note, I have been leaving clues in each chapter, hinting at the fact that he is alive, but not actually having him make an appearance until the last two chapters. I know that this confused some of you, but that was not my intention. He was killed by Kagome in the first chapter. But someone brought him back to life and, as you just read, is pulling his strings. I hope this clears up any continued confusion and, if it doesn't, please don't hesitate to email me with your questions. I will be more than happy to answer them.

Ja!


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